In November last year, Kishida announced a stimulus package worth ¥17 trillion (more than US$100 billion at the time) as he tried to ease the pressure from inflation and rescue his premiership.
But this failed to make him any less unpopular, among voters in the world’s fourth-largest economy and within his own party.
He also faced public discontent over the failure of wages to keep pace with the rising cost of living as the country finally shook off years of deflationary pressure.
The public support for Kishida has also been sliding amid revelations about LDP’s ties to the controversial Unification Church and political donations made at party fundraising events that went unrecorded.
But Kishida won plaudits abroad during his stint in power, siding decisively with Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, and with US encouragement moved to make Japanese defence policy more muscular to counter China.
Who will succeed Kishida remains to be seen, with a hodgepodge of candidates, from party veterans to rising young stars and three women, reportedly weighing their chances and seeking to rally intraparty support.
They include former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi and economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, who if elected would be Japan’s first female premier.
