The News
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio announced he will resign, effective next month. Kishida has battled low approval ratings and a funding scandal throughout his term in office, beginning in 2021.
The shakeup comes at a critical moment for Japan, which, under Kishida, has taken a more forceful security role in the Pacific and deepened its defense cooperation pact with the US in the face of rising threats from China.
Kishida’s resignation “opens the door to a chaotic era,” with at least half a dozen former ministers vying for his party’s top job, a Bloomberg columnist who covers Japan argued.
AD