Japanese PM Kishida Fumio To Step Down, Paving Way for New Leader

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio announced he will step down next month amid record low approval ratings and corruption scandals.

Transcript

00:00In a surprise move, Japan's Prime Minister, Kishida Fumio, has announced that he will

00:04not seek re-election to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, and will step down

00:10as leader in September.

00:11I will take the first step to show that the Liberal Democratic Party will change.

00:25The timing was sudden, but the decision wasn't unexpected.

00:29Approval ratings for Kishida's government have been low for much of his tenure, dropping

00:33dramatically after a corruption scandal involving unreported political funds last December.

00:38He'll leave office with one of the lowest approval ratings in the party's history.

00:43Under such conditions, many in Japan felt the Prime Minister was left with little choice.

00:49I was surprised, but I felt like I wasn't being treated fairly.

00:55There were a lot of unforeseen events, and there was a waste of tax money.

01:03He probably regrets it, but he still has a lot to do.

01:09But I think it's a good decision.

01:11Personally, I would have liked him to stay as Prime Minister for a little longer.

01:16But I think he's under a lot of stress, and I don't think it's a good idea for him to leave now.

01:30While Kishida's term may have been short, it was consequential.

01:34He transformed Japan's defense policy, breaking with decades of precedent to double military

01:39spending, approve counter-strike capabilities, and deepen Japan's alliance with the United States.

01:45Looking ahead to the party's leadership election next month, at least two candidates

01:49are reportedly running.

01:51Current Defense Minister Ishiba Shigeru, who is currently on a visit to Taipei, and current

01:56Digital Minister and former Foreign Minister Kono Taro.

01:59Whoever takes the reins, the new LDP leader will have to see if they can make a fresh

02:03start in the minds of voters.

02:06Otherwise, the stain of party corruption might follow them.

02:10Scott Huang and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.

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