Press Conference by Prime Minister Kishida

The telephone talk I had yesterday with Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene of Mongolia marked the end of the series of diplomatic schedules this summer. Once the Obon holidays are over, we will enter a period of full-fledged moves toward the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election in autumn.

This coming LDP presidential election should be an opportunity for us to demonstrate to the public that the LDP is changing with a clear vison of what a new LDP will be like. For this purpose, it is important for us to carry out the election in a transparent manner, with a particular focus on free and vigorous debates. In this respect, the most convincing first step is for me to step aside. I will not run for the next LDP presidential election. I will devote myself to supporting as a rank-and-file party member the new leader to be elected as a result of the vote.

I am proud to state that the three years I have spent as Prime Minister and LDP President have made major achievements thanks to cooperation from many people. Among them was putting an end to the deflation that had persisted for 30 years, backed by the revival of the “animal spirits” for wage increases and promotion of investment through the public and private cooperation as part of efforts to realize a New Form of Capitalism. In a bid for a shift in energy policy, aimed at dealing with a significant increase in power demand in an era of AI (artificial intelligence), as well as with GX (green transformation), we have introduced carbon pricing and GX Economy Transition Bonds, promoted restarts of nuclear power plants and made efforts to construct new advanced reactors. We have also addressed the dwindling birthrate, an issue that we cannot afford to postpone, by putting in place a set of large-scale measures totaling 3.6 trillion yen. Meanwhile, responding to the international community that is becoming more complex and difficult to deal with, we have decided to fundamentally strengthen defense capabilities with a budget totaling 43 trillion yen over five years. In addition, capitalizing on the solid Japan-U.S. relations, we have taken the lead in the international discussion toward cooperation at a time when the international community is becoming more divided, through holding the G7 Hiroshima Summit and attending the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Summit and Japan-U.S.-ROK Summit at Camp David, while also pursuing a muti-layered diplomacy including by improving the Japan-ROK relations and strengthening ties with the Global-South.

On the other hand, we have invited a series of incidents that have caused distrust in politics among the people, including those involving the former Unification Church and issues of money and politics involving political fundraising parties organized by intra-party factions.

Determined never to betray the people, I have tackled those issues with a conviction that it is my responsibility as Prime Minister and LDP President to respond to the challenges and taking measures to prevent their recurrence through the enactment of a law to rescue victims of the church and the revision of the Political Funds Control Act, among other measures.

In particular, in dealing with issues of money and politics, I faced criticisms for my decisions on disbanding intra-party factions, attendance at the Political Ethics Hearing and lowering the minimum amount at which names of those who purchase tickets to fundraising parties must be disclosed, among other things. Convinced that the public trust in politics is the basis of politics and firmly determined to advance reforms of politics, I made this grave decision with my thoughts focused on the people.

The last remaining issue has been my responsibility as LDP President. I have not the least hesitation in taking responsibility for grave situations that lawmakers belonging to the party have invited. Ever since the incidents in question have occurred, I have been aware of the need and determined to do so. Now that the diplomatic schedules have expired for the moment, I have decided to take responsibility by bowing out as we prepare for the LDP presidential election.

Japan faces extremely difficult challenges on both domestic and international fronts. I hope those wishing to tackle them as party head will be brave enough to run for the race and engage in serious policy debates. Once a new president of the party is elected, I hope to see everyone set free from the intra-party battle whether you have supported the new leader or not in the race, uniting and forming a dream team that is capable of formulating and implementing policies to achieve, first of all, politics that can resonate with the people. I will carefully assess each candidate in terms of whether he or she is qualified to take the leadership in this respect before casting my own vote.

Needless to say, I remain committed to addressing challenges as long as I am KISHIDA Fumio as a politician. To ensure a shift from the cost-cutting and deflationary economy that has lasted for 30 years while maintaining contracted equilibrium, we must strengthen measures under the slogan of a New Form of Capitalism and accelerate the upward trend of wages and investment with a view to making it certain that we will achieve a GDP (gross domestic product) of 600 trillion yen.

With regard to the energy policy, including restarting nuclear power plants and constructing new advanced reactors, we must set a steady direction under the Seventh Energy Basic Plan as we face the questions of how to secure funds for investment in power and how to make power security and decarbonization compatible at a time when power deregulation advances.

On the diplomatic front, Japan, as the only country to have suffered atomic bombings during wartime and as the peaceful country of Japan, must demonstrate its leadership in bringing the war in Ukraine to an end three years after Russia invaded it, posing nuclear threats with some claiming the possibility of Moscow using nuclear weapons.

As next year marks the 60 the anniversary of the normalization of the Japan and the ROK relations, we must make the normalization even more certain. We must also advance neighborhood diplomacy in Northeast Asia in terms of the Japan-China relations based on mutually beneficial strategic relations and the Japan-North Korea relations where we are seeking a solution to the abduction issue, as a saying goes, “Better a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.”

Regarding the constitutional revision, we must discuss to settle the issues of how to clearly define the Self-Defense Forces and how to include an emergency clause by studying them in the form of specific draft clauses with a view to eventually initiating a revision process for the first time. As for the emergency clause, I have already given instructions to work on specific provisions, and as for the clarification of the SDF, to summarize the points in discussion in both chambers of the Diet by the end of this month. This how I hope to steadily carry out our plan.

Then comes the political reform. The remaining issues to address following the revision of the Political Funds Control Act need to be settled at an early date. I have already given instructions to establish a new working group for this purpose in the (LDP’s) political reform headquarters. I will devote my political career and life to addressing those issues as I remain committed to this task as a rank-and-file party member.

I will work on those issues to the maximum possible extent in my capacity as Prime Minister and LDP President until my tenure as party head expires in September. I will also continue to serve as Prime Minister and party president until the final day to wholeheartedly carry out measures including those for the recovery and reconstruction of the areas affected by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, as well as those to deal with disasters like Nankai Trough earthquakes and typhoons.

That’s all from me.

[Q&A]
(Cabinet Public Relations Secretary)
Thank you very much.
We now accept questions, first from Nikkei Shimbun, currently the managing company in the Cabinet Press Club.

(Reporter)
I am Akiyama from Nikkei Shimbun.

Prime Minister, I would like to ask you to tell us your true intention behind your decision not to run for the party presidential election. I am asking you this question because Japan is currently on course to a growth-oriented economy with an exit from deflation in sight, while your diplomatic initiatives in maintaining and strengthening the international order has just started to make Japan’s diplomatic presence felt in an effective manner. If you leave office at this very crucial juncture, those positive trends surrounding Japan could be lost. So my question here is whether you could have opted to run for the presidential race by seeking support from the people for those achievements over the past three years. And if you have decided not to run, who will you instead support in the race and what are the issues where you will ask the candidate to focus on? Thank you in advance for answering my questions.

(Prime Minister Kishida)
As I mentioned earlier, I am proud to state that we have had achieved specific results in policy areas of economy, energy, children, security and diplomacy, thanks to cooperation from many people.

In the meantime, Japan continues to face difficult challenges on both domestic and international fronts. Under such circumstances, it is extremely important to steadily tackle those issues, and it is for this reason that the public trust in politics is even more essential. I believe that such policy measures can be promoted through restoring the public empathy and trust. The LDP therefore must change and the first convincing step to show this change is for me not to run for the LDP presidential election. This is how I made my decision. I hope this will lead to a positive path for the LDP as the ruling party to steadily restore public trust and empathy to implement policy measures. I hope my decision will serve this purpose.

As for your question regarding my successor, I should naturally refrain from commenting on who will succeed me after announcing my decision not to run. But if I am allowed to say one thing, I would like to add that efforts have been made to carry out reforms to address the issues of money and politics and restoring public trust, and that such efforts need to be made going forward. So the one hope that I would like to stress here is that this momentum to carry out reforms should never be reversed.

That’s all from me.

(Cabinet Public Relations Secretary)
Other reporters wishing to ask question are invited to raise your hand.

The second person from the left in front, please.

(Reporter)
I am Eguchi from Nippon Television. Thank you for this occasion.

At what timing did you make the decision not to run? Did you consult anyone before making the decision?

(Prime Minister Kishida)
As I mentioned earlier, ever since this issue of money and politics arose, I have been wondering how I should take responsibility as LDP President. At the final stage of the last Diet session, we managed to achieve certain results, including the revision of the Political Funds Control Act. However, the issue of money and politics is so important that I had a kind of like a pride as a politician that encouraged me to study what I wanted to do and should do as a politician once again and at least clearly demonstrate the directions to pursue before stepping aside from the race, even though I am sure I did everything I could to address the challenges. This is why I have been telling you that I am working on challenges that cannot be postponed since the end of the Diet session to focus on achieving results.

Looking back on this one month and half, we have delivered results, including wages that have increased in real terms and minimum wages that saw their largest-ever increases, as well as economic measures to help ride out the heatwaves and to deal with soaring commodity prices, my decision regarding the lawsuit over the now-defunct Eugenics Protection Law, including direct apologies to victims of forced sterilization and retracting the government’s claim on a “period of exclusion.” Other achievements include the inscription of the Sado Island Gold Mines as World Heritage property, my attendance at the NATO Summit and the hosting of the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM10), as well as leading intra-party discussions regarding the constitutional revision to make further progress. I am proud to say that we have achieved significant results regarding challenges that we have addressed to date. However, I have also been strongly convinced that I should once again review such matters for the last time and clearly demonstrate the directions to pursue before stepping aside from the election. As I said earlier, I wanted to demonstrate something like a pride as a politician before making the decision not to run, considering the future of the LDP in light of restoring public trust.

I hope to see the LDP presidential election carried out in a convincing manner. The new leader, once elected, should take the opportunity to form an All-LDP dream team to restore public trust. I hope my decision will server this purpose. As for the timing of my decision, I reached to the decision today through the process that I have just explained.

That’s all from me.

(Cabinet Public Relations Secretary)
Anyone else wishing to ask questions?
The person in the back, please.

(Reporter)
I am Fujimoto form Hokkaido Shimbun. Thank for this opportunity to ask questions.

Related to an earlier question, I would like to ask you when you conveyed your decision not to run to LDP Vice President ASO Taro, who has supported your administration. I understand you have given us various explanations as to why you have decided not to run, but I think the dwindling approval ratings of your administration is another factor. Why do you think you have failed to gain positive public support despite all the achievements you have just mentioned? Please tell us if you think of something you could have done differently in hindsight.

(Prime Minister Kishida)
I don’t intend to comment on the fluctuation of approval ratings, but it really comes home to me that even though delivering results in pollical challenges is important, the issue of money and politics and public trust are no less important. That is why we must strive to restore public trust to advance policy measures and the first convincing step is therefore for me to decide to step aside to take responsibility.

Your first question was about whether I had consulted somebody. While I sought opinions of many people, I made the final decision on my own quite naturally.

That’s all.

(Cabinet Public Relations Secretary)
This concludes the press conference as Prime Minister has another appointment right after this.

Reporters who have raised your hand for asking questions are invited to send us by e-mail a document carrying the questions to our staff in charge by the end of today. We will accept one question per reporter. We will send you back a document carrying the answer from us. Thank you for your cooperation.