This week, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that he would not seek a second term as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
That means that he will step down as prime minister when his term ends in September. That decision comes as something of a surprise. While his tenure has been rocked by scandal — some originating in the party he leads, others the product of his own flawed decisions — he had a recent rebound in polls, suggesting he might be able to secure a second term. His readiness to step down, however, indicates that his party did not back that ambition.
The race to succeed him promises to be the most competitive in memory. There is no heir apparent and the party’s internal structure has been decimated by scandal, making it difficult for any person or group of politicians to play kingmaker. It isn’t clear what lessons can be drawn from Kishida’s term in office, other than politicians must genuinely lead their nation and make tough choices. Kishida did not.
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