Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is stepping down as the leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) following a series of scandals and problems. His resignation comes after his approval ratings fell sharply due to a major fundraising scandal involving the LDP. The scandal revealed that over 100 million yen (about $680,000) of fundraising money was not reported correctly, leading to a public outcry.

In November 2023, Kishida made drastic changes to his cabinet to address voter anger over the corruption scandal. The scandal, which involved several LDP factions, accused them of not reporting their income properly in political fund reports. Kishida’s party, known for its close ties with powerful business interests and a history of financial scandals, has been under scrutiny for its financial practices.

Adding to Kishida’s troubles are Japan’s rising living costs and a weakening yen. These economic issues have hurt his popularity, making his position increasingl...