Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended the State Department luncheon held in his honor on April 11, 2024 in Washington, USA.
Craig Hudson | Reuters
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Wednesday that he will not run in next month’s Liberal Democratic Party presidential election.
According to Reuters, Kishida said at a press conference that it is very important for the leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party to have a new face, and the “first step” is for him to step down. He added that he believed it was necessary to step down in order for the LDP to regain public trust.
The Prime Minister also pledged his full support to the new leader.
Kishida’s decision not to run for re-election effectively means he will step down as prime minister while the party elects a new leader.
He said the decision was made in the best interests of the country’s public, and that wage and investment growth should be promoted in order to fully exit the country’s deflation-prone economy.
The government is mired in a political financing scandal over misallocations between party factions and underreporting of party funds raised, Leading to the arrest of the minister involved. In early January, Kishida Ruling party’s largest faction disbanded after scandal.
Kishida also said that as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, he would “not hesitate” to take responsibility for “problems caused by party members” and that he had been considering his responsibilities as party leader since the funding scandal emerged.
Local news outlet Kyodo News and NHK Broadcasting Company The news was reported earlier.
according to NHK latest pollAmong them, the number of people who “support” Kishida’s cabinet is 25%, and the number of people who do not support it is 55%.
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