Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Wednesday evening that he will not run for re-election as leader of the liberal DLP party in September. Thus, he is also resigning as prime minister. This was reported by AFP, according to UNN.
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Kishida served as prime minister for three years. He made the decision as the government's ratings plummeted to record lows due to a series of scandals, mainly violations of financial reporting rules in collecting political donations.
So far, only the Minister of Economic Security Sanae Takayoshi has definitely announced her plans to run for the LDP presidency. Several other Japanese politicians, including members of Kishida's Cabinet, also have prime ministerial ambitions, but for various reasons they have not yet publicly expressed their intention to run for office.
Among the possible contenders for the LDP chairmanship are former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is extremely popular among the population, LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi, Minister of Digitalization Taro Kono, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, and former Minister of Environmental Protection Shinjiro Koizumi.
According to numerous opinion polls, the most popular candidates are Ishiba, Koizumi, and Kono. However, the LDP chairman's election is held among party members, which means that to win, a candidate needs the support of party members, both ordinary and deputies, rather than the public, and support among members of the current parliament is crucial.