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[Global Times Report] "Unable to withstand the pressure from within the LDP, Kishida decided to give up running for the LDP presidency." Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on the 14th that he would not participate in the LDP presidential election scheduled for September, which means he will step down as prime minister after a new president is elected. Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun said that it was the calls within the LDP to replace the prime minister that forced Kishida Fumio to make this decision.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on the 14th that he will not participate in this year's Liberal Democratic Party presidential election. Photo from Japanese media

"I hope that the newly elected president can unite the entire LDP to build a 'dream team' and regain the trust of the people," said Fumio Kishida on the 14th when he announced his decision to withdraw from the election. He also said that taking responsibility for the LDP's political funding scandal was one of the reasons why he did not run for re-election. However, many Japanese media believe that the direct factor that led to Kishida's withdrawal from the election was pressure from within the LDP.

According to Japanese media such as Jiji Press and Yomiuri Shimbun, the approval rating of Kishida's cabinet has continued to be low since the LDP's political funding scandal was exposed. The term of office of members of the House of Representatives will expire in October next year, and there have been frequent calls within the LDP for Kishida to withdraw from the election. They believe that if Kishida continues to serve as prime minister, the LDP will lose the House of Representatives election and lose the majority of seats. According to the Japan Broadcasting Association, a former LDP cabinet member said of Kishida's withdrawal from the election, "Kishida should have realized that even if he ran, he would not have a chance of winning."

According to Xinhua News Agency, citing Kyodo News, Kishida's decision to give up running for re-election is related to the continued low approval rating of the cabinet. Kyodo News analyzed that the "black money" scandal within the Liberal Democratic Party has caused the cabinet's approval rating to continue to hover at a low level of around 20%, and has also caused Kishida to lose support within the Liberal Democratic Party. Kishida judged that it would be more difficult to be re-elected, so he gave up running for re-election.

It is worth noting that just last month, US President Biden announced his withdrawal from the US presidential election. Prior to this, several Japanese media reported that Biden's withdrawal from the election might stimulate calls for Kishida to withdraw from the election. Regarding Kishida's withdrawal from the election, the New York Times wrote, "The prime minister resigned under pressure from within the party and plans to leave office next month."

Politicians who are considered by Japanese media to be likely to run in the LDP presidential election, clockwise from left: Toshimitsu Motegi, Taro Kono, Shigeru Ishiba, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, former Minister of Economic Security Takayuki Kobayashi, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, Sanae Takaichi, Shinjiro Koizumi

In the 2021 LDP presidential election, Fumio Kishida defeated two other candidates, Taro Kono and Sanae Takaichi, and was elected as the LDP president. Taro Kono and Sanae Takaichi are currently serving as the Minister of Digitalization and Minister of Economic Security in the Kishida Cabinet, respectively. As for who will participate in the LDP presidential election scheduled for September, according to multiple Japanese media reports, Taro Kono and Sanae Takaichi have previously revealed their intention to run again. In addition, former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba and former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who formed the "Koishino" alliance with Taro Kono in the 2021 LDP presidential election, have also attracted attention.

On the other hand, Japanese media such as the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Toshimitsu Motegi, the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party in Kishida's camp, is also interested in running for the election. The Yomiuri Shimbun said that after the establishment of the Kishida Cabinet, Fumio Kishida, Toshimitsu Motegi and Taro Aso, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, formed an "iron triangle" to form the "mainstream" of the Liberal Democratic Party and became the center of Kishida's regime. However, there have been recent reports that although Fumio Kishida and Toshimitsu Motegi have a good relationship on the surface, Toshimitsu Motegi regards Kishida as a strong opponent in the election for the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party, and Fumio Kishida's confidants therefore have a sense of distrust towards Toshimitsu Motegi.

According to the Japan Broadcasting Association, the specific schedule for the LDP presidential election is expected to be finalized around August 20. As of now, no one has officially announced that they will run for the election.