General
Japan’s Leader, Fumio Kishida, Will Step Down
The unpopular prime minister bowed to pressure within his party, which has been searching for a potential successor. He plans to leave office next month.
Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said on Wednesday that he would step down, bowing to pressure within his party to move on from his unpopular leadership.
Mr. Kishida, 67, whose approval ratings have plummeted in recent months, said at a news conference that he would not run in the governing Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership contest in September. The winner of that election will become the prime minister.
He said he believed that the party needed to show it was willing to make big changes. “The clearest way to do this is for me to withdraw,” he said.
Mr. Kishida, who took office in October 2021, has seen his ratings slide sharply over a political fund-raising scandal within the party. His reputation has also soured over rising prices that have put pressure on Japanese households.
His announcement creates political uncertainty in Japan, a crucial American ally in East Asia, at a time of rising threats from China and North Korea. It is also likely to revive concerns that Japan could return to the revolving door of prime ministers that has characterized its political landscape in the past.
During Mr. Kishida’s time in office, he has worked closely with President Biden to enhance military and economic cooperation between the two longtime allies and with South Korea, with whom Japan’s relations have long been strained. He significantly bolstered Japan’s military defense, breaking with decades-long precedent on spending restrains.
At the same time, political analysts said that Mr. Kishida’s low ratings reflected the public’s view that he was unable to exert the strong leadership needed to turn his party in a new direction.
Numerous scandals within the party, which has governed Japan for all but four years since 1955, have led to widespread voter dissatisfaction, and the party has been searching for months for a potential successor to Mr. Kishida.
A poll last week by NHK, the national broadcaster, found that Mr. Kishida had an approval rating of just 25 percent, down from around 54 percent when he became prime minister almost three years ago.
