Japanese Prime Minister Kishida's Re-election Intentions... "Two Consecutive Weeks of Dinner with Second-in-Command Aso"

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is determined to run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election this September and extend his administration, despite a decline in his approval ratings, according to analyses by Japanese media.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Mainichi Shimbun reported on the 29th, "Although there are openly voiced calls within the LDP for a change in prime minister, Kishida shows no sign of yielding and seems to be stepping up his campaign for the election."

Particularly noting Kishida's recent meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, the report stated, "Following their meeting on the 18th, they met again on the night of the 25th for a meal that lasted about three hours," adding, "This is the first time since the formation of the Kishida Cabinet that they have met alone for two consecutive weeks."

In this context, the Sankei Shimbun also evaluated that "Kishida is approaching Deputy Prime Minister Aso again with the intention of navigating the presidential election." The newspaper reported that during the dinner on the 25th, Kishida expressed apologies regarding the handling of the slush fund scandal that had caused a rift with Aso. It was conveyed that Kishida told those around him after the dinner, "I received various pieces of advice."

Deputy Prime Minister Aso supported Taro Kono, the current Digital Minister who belongs to Aso’s faction, in the 2021 LDP presidential election, but effectively backed Kishida. Since the launch of the Kishida Cabinet, Aso has been given clear consideration as the second-in-command, especially in personnel matters.

In Japan’s parliamentary system, the leader of the majority party becomes the prime minister. If Kishida succeeds in being re-elected as LDP president, he can continue to hold the prime minister position.

Kishida has recently increased his engagement with other party members. On the 27th, he attended a gathering of about 15 members of the House of Representatives, and on the 26th, he clinked glasses with younger lawmakers at a Waseda University alumni meeting.

Kishida marked his 1,000th day in office on the 29th. Regarding this milestone, he told reporters the previous day, "I am putting all my efforts into achieving results on urgent issues such as political reform and the economy. I am not thinking about anything else at the moment."