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Japan PM not to run in LDP leadership race, to step down as premier: sources
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida intends not to run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election next month, government sources said Wednesday, in a decision that will lead to him stepping down as premier. He will hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m., the prime minister's office said. Kishida has been under scrutiny within the party for his handling of a political fundraising scandal involving some of its factions. The approval ratings for Kishida's Cabinet, launched in October 2021, have plunged to the 20 percent range in the wake of the scandal.