Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Wednesday that he won't run in the presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in September, which means quitting the PM office.
Kishida, who has been battling political scandal, would end a three-year term as prime minister after the party elects a new leader in September.
"We need to clearly show an LDP reborn," Kishida told a news conference Wednesday. "In order to show a changing LDP, the most obvious first step is for me to bow out."
Support for Kishida has been in decline for months amid voter frustration over his handling of the party slush-fund scandal, ongoing inflation and a slump of the yen.
Several major factions were suspected of paying kickbacks to member lawmakers who sold fundraising party tickets above their quota, without recording the amount as revenue in its political fund reports.
Kishida has removed several Cabinet ministers and others from party executive posts, dissolved party factions that were criticized as the source of money-for-favor politics, and tightened political funds control law.
Despite his efforts, he still failed to regain voters' trust in the ruling party, Xinhua news agency reported.
The prime minister also faced public discontent over wages failing to keep up with the rising cost of living as the country finally shook off years of deflationary pressure.
Last month, his approval rating plummeted to 15.5 per cent, the lowest for a prime minister in more than a decade.
"Politics cannot function without public trust," Kishida said. "I will now focus on supporting the newly elected LDP leader as a rank-and-file member of the party."
As of Wednesday, former LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba and Digital Minister Taro Kono had expressed intentions to run in the LDP presidential election.
LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi, Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi are also among those who may join the race, Kyodo reported.
A winner will serve as the new party president and be chosen as the new prime minister in subsequent parliamentary elections. LDP leaders are expected to decide the date of the party election next week.
(With inputs from IANS)
