Japan’s ruling party faces ‘generational battle’ as it chooses new leader

Fumio Kishida promised reform when he said he was stepping down as prime minister after a term marred by controversy.

When Fumio Kishida declared earlier this month that he would not seek re-election as leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and was stepping down as prime minister, the announcement was abrupt, but not a shock.

Kishida, who took office in October 2021, was struggling with record-low approval ratings over the rising cost of living and corruption scandals in the LDP.

Given that most Japanese prime ministers have survived only a year or two in the job, Kishida’s three-year term remains the eighth longest in Japan’s post-war history.

But marred by controversy, he said stepping aside was a chance for a reset.

“I made this heavy decision thinking of the public, with the strong will to push political reform forward,” he told reporters on August 14.