Continues period of turmoil in Japan. After the economic shock on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the recession and the anxieties about the announced predicted mega-earthquake, the news arrives that the current prime minister, Fumio Kishida, he will not run again for the leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) in the next internal elections in September.
Kishida's decision is interpreted as a attempt to save the image of the scandal-hit Party and to facilitate internal change to restore public trust. “The most obvious first step to demonstrate that the LDP will change is for me to step aside,” Kishida said during a press conference, underlining the need for political reforms and new leadership. “I made this decision with the firm belief that politics can only work with people's trust and that we will move forward with political reforms” added the Japanese prime minister.
Since the LDP controls both houses of parliament, it is certain that Kishida's successor will lead the country until the legislative elections on October 25, 2025. The Liberal Democratic Party has ruled Japan almost continuously since 1955, and whoever assumed leadership almost automatically became the next prime minister. In the 2021 elections, the PLD won 34,6% of the vote, while the center-left Constitutional Democratic Party reached 20%.
A decline in popularity
Kishida came to power in October 2021, initially gaining widespread support thanks to his political agenda, which included a major increase in defense spending and a strengthening relations with the United States and South Korea. In recent months, however, his government has suffered a severe blow decline in popularity, with approval ratings hovering around 20-25%. A decline that was fueled and conditioned by a series of scandals within the LDP, which undermined public trust in the prime minister's leadership.
According to polls, citizens are dissatisfied with the way Kishida has handled the scandals and consider the measures taken to be inadequate, while inflation continues to burden Japanese families.
The scandals that have engulfed the party
- scandals involving the LDP they were a determining factor in Kishida's decline. Among these, one of the most notable was the involvement of party members with the controversial Unification Church, also linked to the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Furthermore, another major scandal that emerged in December 2023 concerns alleged irregularities in party funding. Several LDP parliamentarians have been accused of not having declared millions of euros from the sale of tickets to fundraising evenings, generating a wave of public indignation and forcing Kishida to dismiss four ministers of his government.
Possible candidates
It is not yet clear who the favorite candidate is for the next internal party elections, although several leading party figures are emerging as Kishida's potential successors. Among the most likely candidates are the former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, very popular within the party, and the Minister of Digital Taro Kono, known for his efforts in modernizing a country that is technologically advanced but historically resistant to change. The competition for the leadership promises to be intense, with other important members of the party, such as the general secretary Toshimitsu Motegi, the Foreign Minister, Yoko Kamikawa, and the Minister of Economic Security, Sanae Takaichiready to take to the field. The choice of a younger leader is also hypothesized, such as Shinjiro Koizumi, 40 years old, son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
