突发！日本首相岸田文雄将退任

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a press conference on Wednesday that he will not run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election next month, meaning the nation will see a new prime minister in fall.

Kishida, who hosted the Group of Seven summit in his home constituency of Hiroshima in 2023, has seen the approval ratings for his Cabinet, launched in October 2021, plunge to the 20 percent range in the wake of a slush funds scandal, which first broke late last year.

"As a first step to impress on the public that the LDP has changed, I have decided not to run in the presidential race," Kishida said at a press conference at the prime minister's office.

Digital Minister Taro Kono, a reform-minded maverick and social media-savvy lawmaker, has informed LDP Vice President Taro Aso, a former prime minister, that he intends to run in the race, according to a source familiar with the matter.