Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Wednesday that he will not run in the presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) next month, in a countdown to his three-year term.
The nation is expected to see a new prime minister this fall following the announcement by Kishida, perplexed by mounting criticism over the LDP slush fund scandal and diving approval ratings for his cabinet.
Kishida told a press conference at the prime minister's office that he takes full responsibility for the slush fund scandal and has decided to "step aside" as a first step to impress on the public that the ruling party can make a change.
In November of last year, revelations emerged that factions within Kishida's LDP were involved in a slush fund scandal, where sales targets for fundraising event tickets were set, and funds exceeding these targets were redirected back to lawmakers as unregulated money.
As the slush fund scandal spreads, support for Kishida's cabinet has continued to decline, dropping to 25 percent in the latest Nikkei/TV Tokyo poll conducted from June 28 to 30, marking a significant decline of three percentage points from the previous month.
In the Japanese political landscape, a cabinet approval rating below 30 percent is generally seen as the "danger level," while falling below 20 percent is considered the "resignation level."
Kishida had been keen to secure reelection in the leadership race despite his unpopularity, but calls have been growing within the LDP for him to resign amid fears over how the LDP would fare in the next general election under his leadership, national news agency Kyodo reported, citing political pundits. The 67-year-old was elected president of the ruling LDP in 2021 and his three-year term expires in September.
As of Wednesday, former LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba and Digital Minister Taro Kono had expressed intentions to run in the LDP presidential election.
LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi, Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi are also among those who may join the race, Kyodo reported.
Japanese PM Kishida to step down, not running for ruling LDP president
