Decision comes after corruption scandals saw support for his party drop below 20 percent.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday, local time, that he will not run in the upcoming party leadership contest in September, paving the way for a new prime minister.
Speaking at a televised press conference, Kishida, the president of his governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said the party must clearly demonstrate to the public a revised image through open and transparent elections.
“The first and most obvious step to show the LDP is changing is for me to step down,” Kishida, 67, said. “I will not be running in the upcoming presidential election.”
“I will continue to do everything I can as prime minister until then end of my term in September,” he said.
Japan’s NHK public television first reported the news.
Kishida was elected president of the LDP in 2021. His three-year term expires in September.
The Japanese prime minister’s decision means that a new party leader will succeed him as prime minister as the LDP controls both houses of Parliament.
Kishida said that he would give his full support to the party’s new leader, who is expected to lead a transformation, including aiming to end Japan’s deflationary economy, reviving innovation and investment, and restarting and installing new nuclear power plants to meet energy demands.
The new party leadership will also focus on addressing the country’s declining birthrate and strengthening defense capabilities, the prime minister said.
The decision to step down comes after corruption scandals saw support for the LDP drop below 20 percent.
Following a fundraising scandal linked to the LDP’s most powerful faction known as the Seiwa policy group, Kishida dismissed several cabinet ministers last December. He removed key party executives, disbanded factions criticized as the source of money-for-favor politics, and tightened political funding laws. Despite these measures, his government’s support has declined.
The scandal involves unreported political funds from party event ticket sales. It implicates over 80 LDP lawmakers, mostly from the faction previously led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In January, 10 lawmakers and aides were indicted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.