HomeInternational NewsJapanese PM Fumio Kishida withdraws from re-election, ushering in new leader

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida withdraws from re-election, ushering in new leader

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced that he will not seek re-election as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the upcoming party elections next month. This decision means that the country will have a new prime minister.

At a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, Kishida stated that it was time for new leadership at the helm of the LDP and that he would wholeheartedly support the new leadership. “In this election, it is necessary to show the public that the LDP is changing and that it is a new LDP,” Kishida told reporters. “For this, open and transparent elections, as well as free and lively debates, are important. The most obvious first step to show that the LDP will change is for me to step back. I will not run in the upcoming presidential election.”

Japanese media, including the national broadcaster NHK, reported earlier that Kishida had informed his administration of his intention not to seek another term. Kishida became party leader in September 2021 for a three-year term and shortly thereafter won a general election. However, his support has seen a significant decline amid a major corruption scandal within the LDP involving unreported political funds raised through tickets sold for party events. More than 80 LDP lawmakers, primarily from a large party faction previously led by the assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have been implicated in the scandal, and ten individuals—lawmakers and their aides—were indicted in January.

The winner of the leadership contest will become Japan’s next prime minister, as the LDP holds the majority of seats in the parliament. Kishida, who previously served as foreign minister and was regarded as a unifying figure, succeeded Yoshihide Suga, who faced criticism for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under Kishida, Japan committed to doubling its defense budget to meet NATO standards of two percent of GDP by 2027, marking a shift from decades of strict pacifism encouraged by the United States in response to growing concerns over China’s increasing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region. Kishida visited the United States in April, where the two countries announced a “new era” in cooperation. In July, Japan and the Philippines signed a defense pact that allows for the deployment of troops on each other’s territories.

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