TOKYO, 14th August, 2024 (WAM) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed on Wednesday his willingness to leave the premiership after three years in power.
He announced that he would not run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential race next month, setting the stage for his departure as the prime minister, Japanese news agency Kyodo News reported.
The sudden announcement came as Kishida's Cabinet stepped up disaster preparedness after the weather agency last week issued its first-ever advisory warning of an increased risk of a megaquake along the Nankai Trough, running between central and southwestern Japan.
"As a first step to impress on the public that the LDP has changed, I have decided not to run in the presidential race," Kishida said at a press conference at the prime minister's office, adding he had made the choice at a time when he was free of immediate diplomatic commitments.
LDP lawmakers "should work as one" under a new leader to restore public trust in politics and address various challenges such as implementing measures to curb the declining birthrate in an aging society and to bolster defense capabilities, he said.
The eighth premier since 1945 to reach 1,000 days in office, Kishida said he will continue to serve as a "rank-and-file" LDP lawmaker.