Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be stepping down as the president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Sep. 2024, according to Reuters. 

Reuters cited several Japanese media reports, including national broadcaster NHK, who in turn cited "senior administration staff."

Kishida will not be seeking re-election as leader for the LDP.

Kishida has been prime minister and President of the LDP since 2021.

Kishida's decision to leave will trigger a contest within the party for the next leader, who will likely become Japan's next prime minister.

Scandals

The decision to not seek re-election comes after a series of scandals and political infighting that have eroded Kishida's public support.

In January 2024, Kishida was forced to apologise in parliament over one of the country's biggest corruption scandals in decades, AP reported.

The scandal involved hundreds of millions of yen not being reported by LDP lawmakers, and being moved into unmonitored slush funds.

Longstanding links between the LDP and the Japan Unification Church, a cult with Korean origins, have also received attention in Japanese media.

The man who assassinated former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, Testuya Yamagami, was allegedly seeking revenge against the church.

Back in February 2024, the LDP's approval ratings hit a record low of 25 per cent, the lowest since the LDP took power in 2012, Nikkei Asia wrote.

Kishida's ratings also slid to 25 per cent.

Nikkei Asia reported that some members of the LDP are concerned that the current government will not be able to win the next lower house election, due by October 2025.

Top photo from Prime Minister's Office of Japan / Facebook.