Japan PM Fumio Kishida announces he will step down from party presidency in September

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will not run for re-election, paving the way for a new leader in September.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a surprise move Wednesday (August 14, 2024), announced he will not run in the upcoming party leadership vote in September, paving the way for Japan to have a new prime minister.

Mr. Kishida was elected President of his governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2021, and his three-year term expires in September. His drop out of the race means a new leader who wins the party vote will succeed him as prime minister because the LDP controls both houses of parliament.

Mr. Kishida, stung by his party’s corruption scandals, has suffered dwindling support ratings that have dipped below 20%.

He announced he will not run in the September vote, allowing for a fresh leader in an effort to show that his party is changing for the better. “Kishida will support a new leader, he said.

Local election losses earlier in the year eroded his clout, and LDP lawmakers have voiced the need for a fresh face ahead of the next general election.

Since the corruption scandal broke, Mr. Kishida has removed a number of Cabinet ministers and others from party executive posts, dissolved party factions that were criticised as the source of money-for-favour politics and passed a law tightening political funds control law. But support for his government has dwindled. 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a surprise move Wednesday (August 14, 2024), announced he will not run in the upcoming party leadership vote in September, paving the way for Japan to have a new prime minister.