With the close of parliament set for Sunday, attention is turning to what Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will do in the summer months as potential rivals step up their efforts to rally support ahead of September’s Liberal Democratic Party presidential election.
Asked at a Friday evening news conference about whether he plans to run again in the September race — or if he was considering a snap general election or Cabinet reshuffle before then — Kishida avoided a direct answer, saying his priority was still on issues “that can’t be postponed.”
These include, he added, restoring trust in politics, recovery and reconstruction efforts related to January’s Noto Peninsula earthquake, measures to promote a new stage of economic growth and diplomacy in an uncertain international environment.