Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Fumio Kishida on Tuesday stopped short of saying that he would run in the ruling party's upcoming leadership election.
Asked during a news conference in the city of Hiroshima whether he plans to run for reelection, Kishida said, "The coming (LDP) presidential election is very important," adding, "An open leadership race is desirable."
But he said: "I'm now working hard to produce results on issues that cannot be postponed, such as the economy and diplomacy. I'm not going to say anything more at this stage."