Japan PM to Exit in His Own 'Joe Biden Moment'

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday announced he will decline to run for leader of his party next month, opening the door for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to choose a new leader to fill the slot of party head and PM. In his surprise announcement, Kishida said he plans to "do my utmost to support whoever becomes the new leader as a foot soldier." More:

• The political specifics: The LDP controls both houses of parliament, and parliament elects the head of the governing party as Japan's PM. The date for the LDP's triennial leadership vote will be set in the coming days, reports the AP.
• Implications: US-Japan ties have been bolstered under Kishida as part of a US effort to rein in China; he has also amped up the Japanese military and bettered relations with South Korea, reports NBC News.
• Awful approval ratings: Kishida's ratings were never super high to begin with, and they cratered last fall after it emerged that the LDP reeled in undisclosed political funds via tickets sold for party events. Kishida wasn't personally fingered, with most of those involved connected to late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But he has been chided for overseeing the party with a weak hand. With general elections slotted for 2025, LDP members had started griping that they would fare poorly if Kishida remained party head.

• One take: As Japanization author William Pesek put it to CNBC: It's a "Joe Biden moment" for Kishida. "He's kind of looked around and made the adult decision realizing that, 'An election is coming up. My party is in some ways on the ropes, and let me make the best decision for the country and for the party and allow them to come up with a new face to run.'"
• What's at stake: As the New York Times reports, the LDP has had "an iron grip on parliament for all but four years since 1955. But decades of scandals and its inability to tackle many of Japan's deep-rooted challenges have spurred widespread voter dissatisfaction." Still, Japan's low levels of voter turnout and political opposition mean the LDP has been "largely insulated from the pressure of potentially losing a general election."
• Trivia: Though his tenure will end up being less than three years, Kishida is Japan's eighth-longest-serving prime minister. His exit has led to some concerns that Japan will see another "revolving door of prime ministers," per the Times.
• An opening for women? The AP notes three names of potential LDP candidates are those of women, and "the LDP's need to change its image could push it to choose a female prime minister." Only three women have ever vied for the LDP top post in the past.

(More Fumio Kishida stories.)