Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday he would step down next month, a move that sets off a scramble among would-be successors to replace him as head of the world's fourth-largest economy.
Click here for a rundown of likely candidates aiming to aiming to succeed Kishida as Japan's prime minister.
WHY IS KISHIDA STEPPING DOWN?
Kishida has been prime minister for almost three years, a relatively long tenure in modern Japanese politics. Yet his administration had become unpopular due to a slush fund scandal and controversy over the ruling party's connection to the former Unification Church.
The economy also hurt his popularity. Households were battered as price increases outpaced pay rises.
For months, public support for Kishida and his cabinet languished below the 30% in opinion polls that is typically seen as a trigger for new elections or leadership change.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Under Japan's parliamentary system, the leader of the ruling party, or coalition of parties, becomes prime minister. For almost all of Japan's post-World War II history, that has meant the premier has hailed from Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The LDP must hold a leadership race every three years. The next one is due to be held in September although the dates have yet to be set.
WHO COULD SUCCEED KISHIDA?
Candidates need 20 signatures from LDP parliamentarians to run for leadership of the party. Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi are among those seen as frontrunners.
Political factions are a critical force in LDP leadership contests, with former prime ministers Taro Aso, Yoshihide Suga and Kishida himself seen as potential kingmakers.
HOW DOES THE VOTE WORK?
Each LDP member of parliament will get a vote, and a similar number of votes will be apportioned among rank-and-file members of the party at large.
The LDP currently has 369 lawmakers in the upper and lower houses of parliament, based on the party's website, while registered party members numbered about 1.13 million during the previous election in 2021.
The votes cast by party members will be tallied according to a proportional representation system called the D'Hondt method.
If no one wins a majority of the votes in the first round, there will be a run-off vote between the top two candidates.
HOW WILL THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION BE FORMED?
Once a new LDP leader is elected, parliament will be called into session to elect the next prime minister. The candidate who wins the majority of votes cast by the lower and upper houses of parliament will take the top job.
Given the LDP's majority in both houses, the LDP leader will likely be elected as prime minister. The new premier is also expected to form a new cabinet and reshuffle the LDP party executives in early October.
© Thomson Reuters 2024.
14 Comments
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Eastmann
long story short.
unpopular mister JTB will be removed from spotlight and will be replaced with another LDP crook.
in any other democracy here we will be new elections asap but yes...T.I.J.
Sanjinosebleed
So basically a dictatorship with a rotating dictator....
happyhere
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
Spitfire
Almost surely will be a Nippon Kaigi member.
Hope it isn’t Takaichi.
Bib
What's to know? The musical chairs game replaces him with someone virtually identical or worse.
Hideomi Kuze
3 years before, Japanese major media who already forgot journalism neglect even verification about until then LDP regime, had spent many hours to propagandize new LDP leader candidates everyday.
They will repeat same failures, will not even mention about misrule by LDP Kishida regime last 3 years that victimized the lives of at least tens thousands people mainly social vulnerable.
wallace
The PM is picked by his team. The voters have no say in it. The old gang continues.
rcch
EastmannToday 08:27 am JST “ long story short.
unpopular mister JTB will be removed from spotlight and will be replaced with another LDP crook.
in any other democracy here we will be new elections asap but yes...T.I.J. “
SanjinosebleedToday 09:13 am JST “ So basically a dictatorship with a rotating dictator.... “
happyhereToday 09:19 am JST “ Meet the new boss, same as the old boss “
Yep.
Japanese politics can be so boring and predictable, smh.
wallace
It is the right time for a woman PM. Now there's a move.
Sven Asai
Yes, it's a bit strange that the voters have no immediate say on this, but of course it's in so far democratic that they have even two indirect chances, one long before , in this case 3 yrs before, because no Kishida then also no post-Kishida for example, and the second vote is in the future, after that new LDP determined PM is voted for or against, also indirectly, during the next parliamentary election. It's quite a bit unusual for many of us, yes, but of course not more or less democratic than anywhere else in Western style democracies.
rcch
Note: Look at the downvotes. Lmao. We are just stating what everyone sees (I agree with most of my fellow JT readers commenting on this Kishida news since yesterday) but apparently, some people choose to bury their heads in the sand. OK, Japan is NOT a dictatorship but, a) Kishida is weak/incompetent and b) there needs to be changes within the LDP.
Cephus
"Under Japan's parliamentary system, the leader of the ruling party, or coalition of parties, becomes prime minister. For almost all of Japan's post-World War II history, that has meant the premier has hailed from Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The LDP must hold a leadership race every three years. The next one is due to be held in September although the dates have yet to be set."
It's Japan for the Japanese their house their rules!!
"Yes, it's a bit strange that the voters have no immediate say on this, but of course it's in so far democratic that they have even two indirect chances, one long before , in this case 3 yrs before, because no Kishida then also no post-Kishida for example, and the second vote is in the future, after that new LDP determined PM is voted for or against, also indirectly, during the next parliamentary election. It's quite a bit unusual for many of us, yes, but of course not more or less democratic than anywhere else in Western style democracies."@ sven asai
Please, don't forget that, recently in U S.A, Kamala was coronated in the middle of the night by the DNC
kaimycahl
As long as it’s not someone with the mindset of Kamala Harris Japan should be ok!. Her name is red snapper she flips and flaps out of water like a fish.
elephant200
The Japanese politicians rely on a "King Maker". For decades Japanese Prime Minister is doing the guidelines given by that King Maker. Shinzo Abe was a very qualified "King Maker", he choose who is who to do the jobs. But Abe-san is dead, this will cause a long time chaos in Japanese politics like 1990s and 2000s.