World

Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida to resign, paving way for new leader

Published

1 month ago

August 15, 2024

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday he would step down next month, succumbing to public disaffection over political scandals and rising living costs that marred his three-year term, and setting off a scramble to replace him.

"Politics cannot function without public trust," he told a press conference to reveal his decision not to seek re-election as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

"I made this heavy decision thinking of the public, with the strong will to push political reform forward."

The LDP will hold a contest in September to replace him as president of the party, and, by extension, as prime minister.

Kishida's ratings dipped after he took office in 2021 following revelations about the LDP's ties to the controversial Unification Church.

His popularity took another hit when a slush fund of unrecorded political donations made at LDP fundraising events came to light.

He also faced public discontent as wages failed to keep pace with rising living costs as Japan finally shook off years of deflationary pressure.

"An LDP incumbent prime minister cannot run in the presidential race unless he's assured of a victory," said Koichi Nakano, a professor of political science at Sophia University.

"It's like the grand champion yokozunas of sumo. You don't just win, but you need to win with grace."

His successor as LDP leader will face the task of restoring the public's confidence in the party and tackle the rising cost of living, escalating geopolitical tensions with China, and the potential return of Donald Trump as U.S. president next year.

U.S. President Joe Biden called Kishida's tenure "nothing short of historic" and praised his new national security strategy, support for Ukraine, and steps to usher in a new era of U.S.-South Korea-Japan cooperation.

"Prime Minister Kishida’s courageous leadership will be remembered on both sides of the Pacific for decades to come, and I will always be grateful to call him my friend," Biden said in a statement.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told a regular briefing he had no doubt that whoever took over from Kishida "we will continue to deepen our alliance and partnership with Japan."

Through his stint as Japan's eighth-longest serving post-war leader, Kishida broke from previous economic policy by eschewing corporate profit-driven trickledown economics to set his sights on boosting household income, including wage hikes and promoting share ownership.

He led Japan out of the COVID-19 pandemic with massive stimulus spending and also appointed academic Kazuo Ueda as head of the Bank of Japan to guide the country out of his predecessor's radical monetary stimulus.

In July, the BOJ unexpectedly raised interest rates as inflation took hold, contributing to stock market instability and sending the yen sharply higher.

Kishida's departure could mean tighter fiscal and monetary conditions, depending on the candidate, said Shoki Omori, chief Japan desk strategist at Mizuho Securities in Tokyo.

"In short, risk-assets, particularly equities, will likely be hit the most," he said.

Kishida's premiership was also marked by a changing security environment that spurred Japan to revisit its traditionally pacifist policy.

He unveiled Japan's biggest military buildup since World War Two with a commitment to double defence spending aimed at deterring neighbouring China from pursuing its territorial ambitions in East Asia through military force.

At Washington's prodding, Kishida also mended Japan's strained ties with South Korea, enabling the two and their mutual ally, the United States, to pursue deeper security co-operation against the threat from North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs.

"Personally, I wish he continued a little bit more as prime minister," said Naoya Okamoto, a 22-year-old office worker in Tokyo, the capital.

"Maybe he was stressed (with the low ratings), and with all the circumstances around him, I guess he has no choice but to step down."

Former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba has already thrown his hat in the ring as a prospective replacement for Kishida, saying he would like to "fulfil his duty" if he gained enough support, public broadcaster NHK said.

Other names floated as potential contenders include Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Digital Minister Taro Kono, and former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.

Experts say the LDP will have to pick a fresh face that breaks from the scandals if it is to survive a general election due by the third quarter of 2025.

"If the LDP picks its next leader in a way that disregards public criticism against political funding scandals, the party could suffer a crushing defeat," said political analyst Atsuo Ito.

"The party must choose someone young who has no ties with the present administration and thus can present a new LDP." – Reuters

Up Next

Gaza ceasefire negotiations extend to another day as death toll exceeds 40,000

Don't Miss

US approves sale to Israel of $20 billion weapons package

World

NATO’s Stoltenberg says each country must decide if Ukraine can use its long-range missiles on Russia

Some U.S. officials are deeply skeptical that allowing the use of such missiles would make a significant difference in Kyiv’s battle against Russian invaders.

Published

10 hours ago

September 17, 2024

Ariana News

The outgoing head of NATO Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday he welcomed talks on Ukraine's use of long-range missiles to strike inside Russian territory, but any decision on the issue would have to be made by individual allies, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pleading with allies for months to let Ukraine fire Western missiles including long-range U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadows deep into Russia to limit Moscow's ability to launch attacks.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Joe Biden held talks in Washington on Friday on whether to allow Kyiv to use the long-range missiles against targets in Russia. No decision was announced.

"I welcome these developments and these decisions but its for individual allies to make the final decisions," Stoltenberg told LBC radio. "Allies have different policies on this."

Some U.S. officials are deeply skeptical that allowing the use of such missiles would make a significant difference in Kyiv's battle against Russian invaders, read the report.

President Vladimir Putin has said the West would be directly fighting Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike with Western-made long-range missiles.

Asked about possible Russian retaliation, Stoltenberg said there were "no risk-free options in the war".

"But I continue to believe that the biggest risk for us, for United Kingdom, for NATO, will be if President Putin wins in Ukraine," he added.

World

Trump safe after assassination attempt thwarted at Florida golf course

The suspect left an AK-47-style assault rifle and other items at the scene and fled in a vehicle and was later arrested

Published

1 day ago

September 16, 2024

Ariana News

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was safe on Sunday after the Secret Service foiled what the FBI called an apparent assassination attempt while he was golfing on his course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Several Secret Service agents fired on a gunman in bushes near the property line of the golf course after he was spotted a few hundred yards from where Trump was playing, law enforcement officials said.

The suspect left an AK-47-style assault rifle and other items at the scene and fled in a vehicle and was later arrested, Reuters reported.

The apparent attempt on Trump's life came just two months after he was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, sustaining a minor injury to his right ear.

Both incidents highlight the challenges of keeping presidential candidates safe in a hotly contested and polarized campaign with just over seven weeks to go before the Nov. 5 election.

"I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes - It was certainly an interesting day!," Trump said on social media late on Sunday, thanking Secret Service and police for keeping him safe.

CNN, Fox News and The New York Times identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, citing unidentified law enforcement officials. The FBI declined to comment and Reuters could not independently verify his identity.

It was not clear if or how the suspect knew Trump was playing golf at the time, or what his motive was, but the attempted attack was sure to raise new questions about the level of protection he is given.

World

Houthi missile reaches central Israel for first time, no injuries reported

At a weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the Houthis should have known that Israel would exact a “heavy price” for attacks on Israel.

Published

1 day ago

September 16, 2024

Ariana News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would inflict a "heavy price" on the Iran-aligned Houthis who control northern Yemen, after they reached central Israel with a missile on Sunday for the first time, Reuters reported.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group struck with a new hypersonic ballistic missile that travelled 2,040 km (1270 miles) in just 11 1/2 minutes.

An Israeli military official said the missile was hit by an interceptor and fragmented in the air, rather than being completely destroyed.

Air raid sirens had sounded in Tel Aviv and across central Israel moments before the impact at around 6:35 a.m. local time (0335 GMT), sending residents running for shelter. Loud booms were heard, read the report.

Missile pieces landed in fields and near a railway station. There were no direct casualties, but nine people were lightly hurt while seeking cover. Reuters saw smoke billowing in an open field in central Israel.

At a weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the Houthis should have known that Israel would exact a "heavy price" for attacks on Israel.

"Whoever needs a reminder of that is invited to visit the Hodeida port," Netanyahu said, referring to an Israeli retaliatory air strike against Yemen in July for a Houthi drone that hit Tel Aviv.

The Houthis have fired missiles and drones at Israel repeatedly in what they say is solidarity with the Palestinians, since the Gaza war began with a Hamas attack on Israel in October, Reuters reported.

The drone that hit Tel Aviv for the first time in July killed a man and wounded four people. Israeli air strikes in response on Houthi military targets near the port of Hodeidah killed six and wounded 80.

Previously, Houthi missiles have not penetrated deep into Israeli air space, with the only one reported to have hit Israeli territory falling in an open area near the Red Sea port of Eilat in March.

Israel should expect more strikes in the future "as we approach the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 operation, including responding to its aggression on the city of Hodeidah," Houthis spokesperson Sarea said.

The deputy head of the Houthi's media office, Nasruddin Amer, said in a post on X on Sunday that the missile had reached Israel after "20 missiles failed to intercept" it, describing it as the "beginning".