Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Not Run in LDP Presidential Race (UPDATE1)

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida enters the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on Wednesday morning.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, also the Liberal Democratic Party’s president, will not run in the party’s presidential election next month, it has been learned.

Kishida will announce his decision at a press conference on Wednesday. He will vacate the LDP presidency after a single term of three years.

Some have called for Kishida to be replaced as prime minister after political fund scandals involving LDP factions caused a loss of trust from the public.