Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who announced on Wednesday that he would not stand for re-election in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leadership vote in September, will be remembered more fondly overseas than among his domestic audience, according to political analysts.
Kishida caught the nation off-guard with his announcement, which immediately triggered jostling among half-a-dozen LDP politicians eager to assume his position.
And while Kishida is widely regarded at home as someone who did his best to handle Japan's myriad problems, he was ultimately undone by scandals within the party in which he had no hand, and economic challenges that were equally a hangover from previous administrations.
"He has been much more popular overseas than here in Japan, and it is significant that several foreign leaders have praised his leadership on the global stage," said Hiromi Murakami, a professor of political science at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.
US President Joe Biden led the applause, saying in a statement, "Put simply, thanks to Prime Minister Kishida's leadership, the future of the US-Japan alliance is stronger and brighter than ever."
Biden added that Kishida had "transformed Japan's role in the world," adding that his "courageous leadership will be remembered on both sides of the Pacific for decades to come."
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