Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida to Resign, Paving Way for New Leader 

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference at his office in Tokyo to announce he will not run in the upcoming party leadership vote in September, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP)
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference at his office in Tokyo to announce he will not run in the upcoming party leadership vote in September, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP)
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Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida to Resign, Paving Way for New Leader 

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference at his office in Tokyo to announce he will not run in the upcoming party leadership vote in September, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP)
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference at his office in Tokyo to announce he will not run in the upcoming party leadership vote in September, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP)

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

"Politics cannot function without public trust. I made this heavy decision thinking of the public, with the strong will to push political reform forward," he said in a press conference to announce his decision not to seek re-election as the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader.

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

Kishida ratings started to slide rapidly after he took office in 2021 following revelations about the LDP's ties to the controversial Unification Church. His popularity took a further hit as a slush fund of unrecorded political donations made at LDP fundraising events came to light.

He also faced public discontent over the failure of wages to keep pace with rising living costs as the country 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. It's like the grand champion yokozunas of sumo. You don't just win, but you need to win with grace," said Koichi Nakano, political science professor at Sophia University.

Whoever succeeds Kishida as LDP leader must restore 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 US president next year.

MONETARY POLICY AND MILITARY BUILDUP

Through his stint as the country's eighth-longest serving post-war leader, Kishida broke from previous economic policy by eschewing corporate profit-driven trickle-down economics in favor of policies aimed at boosting household incomes, including wage hikes and promoting share ownership.

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

The BOJ in July 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, according to 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 rapidly changing security environment which pushed Japan to revisit its traditionally pacifist policy.

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

With prodding from Washington, Kishida also mended Japan's strained relations with South Korea, enabling the two countries and their mutual ally, the US, to pursue deeper security co-operation to counter the threat posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs.

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

NEXT LEADER

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

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

Experts say that the LDP will have to pick a fresh face that breaks from the scandals that have mired the party recently to survive a general election, which is due by the third quarter of 2025 at the latest.

"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," political analyst Atsuo Ito said.

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



Trump, Harris to Clash at Debate That Could Reshape 2024 Race 

US Vice President Kamala Harris in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, August 20, 2024, and former US President Donald Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, US, August 15, 2024, are seen in a combination of file photographs. (Reuters)
US Vice President Kamala Harris in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, August 20, 2024, and former US President Donald Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, US, August 15, 2024, are seen in a combination of file photographs. (Reuters)
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Trump, Harris to Clash at Debate That Could Reshape 2024 Race 

US Vice President Kamala Harris in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, August 20, 2024, and former US President Donald Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, US, August 15, 2024, are seen in a combination of file photographs. (Reuters)
US Vice President Kamala Harris in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, August 20, 2024, and former US President Donald Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, US, August 15, 2024, are seen in a combination of file photographs. (Reuters)

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris will meet in their first and perhaps only debate on Tuesday, a clash that could prove pivotal in their pitched battle for the White House.

The ABC News-hosted debate at 9 p.m. ET (0100 GMT on Wednesday) takes place just eight weeks before the Nov. 5 election, with both candidates locked in a tight race that could still easily swing in either direction. Early voting will start in some states just days after the debate.

The encounter is particularly important for Harris, with opinion polls showing that more than a quarter of likely voters feel they do not yet know enough about her, in contrast to the well-known Trump.

The nationally televised debate also offers Harris, a former prosecutor, a chance to make her case against Trump, whose felony convictions, outspoken backing for supporters convicted of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and frequent falsehoods all offer plenty of fertile ground.

It will be the first time the two candidates have met and follows weeks of personal attacks on Harris by Trump and his allies that have included racist and sexist insults.

A similar outburst on stage could turn off undecided voters, according to John Geer, a professor at Vanderbilt University and an expert on presidential politics.

Trump's advisers and fellow Republicans have urged him to focus on Tuesday on illegal immigration and high prices, issues that play well with voters, and portraying Harris as too liberal for the country.

"There's no floor for him in terms of how low he will go, and we should be prepared for that," Harris said in a radio interview that aired on Monday.

Presidential debates do not always move the needle, but they can transform the dynamics of a race. President Joe Biden's faltering performance against Trump in June was so damaging that it eventually led him to abandon his campaign.

In a contest that could again come down to tens of thousands of votes in a handful of states, even a small shift in public opinion could alter the outcome. The two candidates are effectively tied in the seven battleground states likely to decide the election, according to polling averages compiled by the New York Times.

"There is more for Kamala Harris to gain and more for her to lose," said Mitchell McKinney, a former adviser to the US Commission on Presidential Debates, since she remains somewhat of an unknown for many voters.

Viewers will be looking for where she stands on various issues. But just as important, they will be looking to see how she handles herself against Trump.

Trump, by contrast, is already well defined. "You're either for him or against him" at this point, McKinney said.

The 90-minute debate will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. As agreed by the campaigns, there will be no live audience and microphones will be muted when it is not a candidate's turn to speak.

PREP WORK

Harris has been preparing in Pittsburgh since Thursday, holding mock sessions on a stage with lights to recreate the debate environment. Philippe Reines, a former Hillary Clinton aide, is playing Trump.

Rather than rehearsing, Trump has relied on informal chats with advisers, campaign appearances and media interviews to get set for Tuesday, with former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard - who had a memorably hostile exchange with Harris in a Democratic presidential debate in 2019 - offering advice.

On a call with reporters, Gabbard said Trump would treat Harris just as any other opponent.

"President Trump respects women and doesn't feel the need to be patronizing or to speak to women in any other way than he would speak to a man," she said. "He is speaking to Kamala Harris's record, and comparing and contrasting that with his record of success."

While any personal crossfire will get plenty of attention, especially on social media, the two rivals are also likely to skirmish over several major issues.

A Harris campaign official said the vice president is expected to hammer Trump on abortion and describe him as unfit to lead. She is also expected to tout her plans to strengthen the middle class and lower costs for consumers.

Abortion has been a top issue for Harris and Democrats since 2022, when the US Supreme Court - powered by three Trump appointees - eliminated a nationwide right to the procedure in a broadly unpopular decision.

In speeches, she has put responsibility for that ruling squarely on Trump's shoulders, calling various state restrictions "Trump abortion bans."

She has also sought to tie Trump to Project 2025, a conservative blueprint from the Heritage Foundation think tank that proposes expanding executive power, eliminating environmental regulations and making it illegal to ship abortion pills across state lines, among other right-wing goals.

Trump has offered shifting rhetoric on abortion while distancing himself from Project 2025, even though many of his former advisers were involved in drafting proposals.

For his part, Trump will tie Harris to the Biden administration's immigration policy, attacking them for record levels of migrant crossings before a recent spate of executive orders drove the numbers down dramatically.

He will also likely blame Harris for high consumer prices that have prompted many Americans to feel pessimistic about the economy despite strong job and wage growth.

He is expected to highlight Harris' past support - since disavowed - for left-wing stances such as banning fracking, portraying her either as a flip-flopper or an extreme liberal in disguise.