TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday he will not run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election next month and pledged to take responsibility for a political fundraising scandal.
At a press conference at the prime minister’s office, Kishida said his decision not to join the race, a decision that will lead to him stepping down as premier, is “the first step to show that the LDP will change.”
Kishida has been under scrutiny within the party for his handling of a political fundraising scandal involving some of its factions.
The approval ratings for Kishida’s Cabinet, launched in October 2021, have plunged to the 20 percent range in the wake of the scandal.
Despite his unpopularity, Kishida had been keen to secure reelection in the leadership race. 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, political pundits said.
So far, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is popular with the public, has expressed his intention to run in the LDP presidential election. Ishiba previously served as LDP secretary general, the No. 2 figure within the ruling party.
Digital Minister Taro Kono, a reform-minded maverick and social media-savvy lawmaker, has informed LDP Vice President Taro Aso, a former prime minister, that he intends to run in the race, according to a source familiar with the matter.
LDP Secretary General Toshimitu 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.
Associated Press reports that Local election losses earlier in the year eroded Kishida’s clout, and LDP lawmakers have voiced the need for a fresh face ahead of the next general election.
Since the corruption scandal broke, Kishida has removed a number of Cabinet ministers and others from party executive posts, dissolved party factions that were criticized as the source of money-for-favor politics, and passed a law tightening political funds control law. But support for his government has dwindled.
The scandal centers on unreported political funds raised through tickets sold for party events. It involved more than 80 LDP lawmakers, mostly belonging to a major party faction previously led by assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Ten people — lawmakers and their aides — were indicted in January.
