By River Akira Davis
Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said Wednesday that he would step down, bowing to pressure within his party to move on from his unpopular leadership.
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.
Kishida, who took office in October 2021, has seen his ratings slide sharply over a political fundraising scandal within the party. His reputation has also soured over rising prices that have put pressure on households and the national economy.
His announcement creates political uncertainty in Japan, a crucial American ally, 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 Kishida’s time in office, he has worked closely with President Joe 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.
Numerous scandals within the Liberal Democratic 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 Kishida.
This year, Kishida dissolved his own faction within the party over a scandal involving campaign funds. The faction was found to have failed to report the equivalent of millions of dollars’ worth of political contributions in official reports.
Kishida was not directly involved in the scandal, but analysts said his low ratings reflected the public’s view that he could not exert the leadership needed to change the party.
The prime minister made various attempts to restore trust, including legislation to reform campaign finance rules, but ended up “with no cards left to play,” said Harumi Arima, an independent political analyst. “He decided to be responsible to his party and leave its future with the next leader.”
A poll last week by NHK, the national broadcaster, found that Kishida had an approval rating of just 25%, down from around 54% when he became prime minister almost three years ago.
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