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Kishida’s bowing out could trigger the return of ‘one year’ prime ministers
The spinning of the political revolving door bodes ill for efforts to tackle Japan’s massive challenges.
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Mr Fumio Kishida has served 34-plus months, something of an aberration in recent Japanese history. Since the late 1990s, most premiers came and went in roughly 12-month cycles.
PHOTO: REUTERS
William Pesek
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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s surprise decision to relinquish leadership
Mr Kishida’s own “Joe Biden moment” reflects approval ratings trapped in the low 20s by a weak economy and his indecisive handling of a fund-raising scandal. Stepping aside lets the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) offer a fresher face to voters in next year’s general election.
