<p>Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/fumio-kishida">Fumio Kishida</a> said on Wednesday he would step down as prime minister next month, after a three-year tenure marked by scandal and declining public support.</p><p>Here are some possible contenders to replace him when his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) holds a leadership election next month.</p>.<p>A four-time candidate for party president and a former defence minister, Ishiba is yet to officially announce his intention to run in the upcoming race.</p><p>Ishiba leads in public opinion polls but may struggle to win over LDP lawmakers who play an outsize role in determining the next party head.</p><p>In a recent interview with Reuters, Ishiba endorsed the Bank of Japan's policy of gradually raising interest rates, saying its normalisation of monetary policy could push down prices and boost industrial competitiveness.</p>.<p>Motegi, now secretary-general of the LDP, has served in many cabinet posts, including as foreign, trade and economy ministers.</p><p>He studied at Harvard Kennedy School and worked at the Yomiuri newspaper and consulting firm McKinsey before entering politics in 1993.</p><p>Motegi has a reputation as a tough negotiator and handled talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer when President Donald Trump was in office.</p>.Japan PM Kishida to step down in September.<p>A former environment minister and the son of charismatic former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, he trails behind Ishiba in second place in the latest Jiji Press opinion poll.</p><p>While he has cultivated an image of a reformer, he has also taken care not to offend party elders.</p><p>Educated at Columbia University, he was appointed environment minister in 2019 at the age of 38, becoming the third-youngest lawmaker of a post-World War II Japanese cabinet.</p>.<p>Takaichi serves as minister in charge of economic security, and was credited for passing legislation to create a clearance system for economic security.</p><p>She ran against Kishida in the last party leadership race in 2021. She is known for her conservative stance, including visits to Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial site that honours Japanese war dead and is seen by some Asia countries as a symbol of past militarism.</p>.<p>Kono also ran against Kishida in the last party leadership race and is seen as a likely candidate again. As digital minister under Kishida, he has pushed to phase out the use of floppy discs, fax machines and other ageing technology in government.</p><p>Educated at Georgetown University and a fluent English speaker, the social media-savvy Kono has served as foreign and defence minister, and oversaw the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine programme under Kishida's predecessor, Yoishihide Suga.</p><p>He has a reputation as a maverick but toed the line on key policies promoted by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.</p>.Japan's PM cancels central Asia trip after earthquake risk warning. <p>The foreign minister is a relatively low-profile figure but has attracted attention as a potential prime minister in recent opinion polls.</p><p>After graduating from the Harvard Kennedy School she worked for US Senator Max Baucus.</p><p>When she was justice minister in 2018, she signed the execution papers of 13 death-row inmates who were members of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, which perpetrated the deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995.</p>. <p>Kobayashi, who served as the first-ever minister in charge economic security, is credited for passing legislation on economic security aimed at reinforcing critical supply chains.</p><p>Another graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, Kobayashi started his career at the finance ministry and worked at Japan's embassy in the United States before entering politics in 2010.</p><p>He was first elected to the lower house in 2012, and was parliamentary vice-minister of defence under Abe.</p>
<p>Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/fumio-kishida">Fumio Kishida</a> said on Wednesday he would step down as prime minister next month, after a three-year tenure marked by scandal and declining public support.</p><p>Here are some possible contenders to replace him when his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) holds a leadership election next month.</p>.<p>A four-time candidate for party president and a former defence minister, Ishiba is yet to officially announce his intention to run in the upcoming race.</p><p>Ishiba leads in public opinion polls but may struggle to win over LDP lawmakers who play an outsize role in determining the next party head.</p><p>In a recent interview with Reuters, Ishiba endorsed the Bank of Japan's policy of gradually raising interest rates, saying its normalisation of monetary policy could push down prices and boost industrial competitiveness.</p>.<p>Motegi, now secretary-general of the LDP, has served in many cabinet posts, including as foreign, trade and economy ministers.</p><p>He studied at Harvard Kennedy School and worked at the Yomiuri newspaper and consulting firm McKinsey before entering politics in 1993.</p><p>Motegi has a reputation as a tough negotiator and handled talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer when President Donald Trump was in office.</p>.Japan PM Kishida to step down in September.<p>A former environment minister and the son of charismatic former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, he trails behind Ishiba in second place in the latest Jiji Press opinion poll.</p><p>While he has cultivated an image of a reformer, he has also taken care not to offend party elders.</p><p>Educated at Columbia University, he was appointed environment minister in 2019 at the age of 38, becoming the third-youngest lawmaker of a post-World War II Japanese cabinet.</p>.<p>Takaichi serves as minister in charge of economic security, and was credited for passing legislation to create a clearance system for economic security.</p><p>She ran against Kishida in the last party leadership race in 2021. She is known for her conservative stance, including visits to Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial site that honours Japanese war dead and is seen by some Asia countries as a symbol of past militarism.</p>.<p>Kono also ran against Kishida in the last party leadership race and is seen as a likely candidate again. As digital minister under Kishida, he has pushed to phase out the use of floppy discs, fax machines and other ageing technology in government.</p><p>Educated at Georgetown University and a fluent English speaker, the social media-savvy Kono has served as foreign and defence minister, and oversaw the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine programme under Kishida's predecessor, Yoishihide Suga.</p><p>He has a reputation as a maverick but toed the line on key policies promoted by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.</p>.Japan's PM cancels central Asia trip after earthquake risk warning. <p>The foreign minister is a relatively low-profile figure but has attracted attention as a potential prime minister in recent opinion polls.</p><p>After graduating from the Harvard Kennedy School she worked for US Senator Max Baucus.</p><p>When she was justice minister in 2018, she signed the execution papers of 13 death-row inmates who were members of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, which perpetrated the deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995.</p>. <p>Kobayashi, who served as the first-ever minister in charge economic security, is credited for passing legislation on economic security aimed at reinforcing critical supply chains.</p><p>Another graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, Kobayashi started his career at the finance ministry and worked at Japan's embassy in the United States before entering politics in 2010.</p><p>He was first elected to the lower house in 2012, and was parliamentary vice-minister of defence under Abe.</p>