Kishida To Quit As Chief Of His LDP Faction

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to step down as the chief of his faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) amid a political funds scandal, according to a source close to him, as reported by Mainichi Shimbun.

The LDP has faced criticism following allegations that five factions, including Kishida's group, underreported their revenue from political fundraising parties, potentially leading to kickbacks to some lawmakers. I Photo: Prime Minister's Office of Japan X

The LDP has faced criticism following allegations that five factions, including Kishida's group, underreported their revenue from political fundraising parties, potentially leading to kickbacks to some lawmakers.

While Kishida's predecessors typically resigned as leaders of their factions during their terms as prime minister to avoid the appearance of patronage-driven politics, he retained the position since assuming office in October 2021.

In response to the political funds scandal, Kishida instructed LDP executives to refrain from hosting fundraising parties. However, there has been a growing call for him to leave his faction to restore public trust in the ruling party.

The Cabinet's approval ratings have fallen to their lowest levels since Kishida became prime minister, and he had to deny links to the controversial Unification Church after a Japanese daily reported he had met with senior figures of the organization in 2019.

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