Japan PM Kishida to Step Down in September
Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, has revealed that he will not seek re-election as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), in the forth coming September polls.
Support for Mr Kishida, who has been PM since 2021, has fallen in the wake of a corruption scandal involving his party, rising living costs and a slumping yen.
His approval ratings had plummeted to 15.5% last month - the lowest for a PM in more than a decade.
Kishida at a press conference, today, while announcing his decision, maintained that "in the upcoming presidential election, it's necessary to show the people that the Liberal Democratic Party will change."
"A transparent and open election, and free and open debate are important. The first easy-to-understand step that indicates that the LDP will change is for me to step back," he said.
Within the party, some have doubted whether Mr Kishida can lead the LDP to a win in the next general election due in 2025. The party has been in power almost continuously since 1955.
A senior leader told broadcaster NHK that he had tried to persuade Mr Kishida to run for office, but the prime minister said that would have been "irresponsible".
A member of Mr Kishida's faction in the party called the decision "very regrettable and unfortunate", adding that tehe PM "had a good record in foreign policy, defence policy, and domestic politics, but he was forced to [step down] due to the issue of politics and money."
Last December, four LDP cabinet ministers resigned within two weeks due to a fundraising scandal involving the ruling party's most influential faction. Additionally, five senior vice-ministers and a parliamentary vice-minister from the same faction, previously led by the late PM Shinzo Abe, also stepped down. Japan’s prosecutors initiated a criminal investigation to determine whether dozens of LDP lawmakers received funds from fundraising events that kept millions of dollars off the party’s official records.
However, Mr. Kishida’s response to the scandal faced public criticism, further damaging his popularity. The controversy emerged as Japanese households were grappling with soaring food prices, the fastest increase in nearly half a century. This combination of economic struggles and political scandal deepened mistrust in the ruling party, despite the weakness and division within the opposition.
"From now on, the entire political situation will be in flux," Jun Azumi, an MP from the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party told NHK, after Mr Kishida's announcement.
See also: Africa Declares Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency
