Kishida to Make LDP Race Decision after End of Diet Session

May 6, 2018

Hanoi- Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Fumio Kishida has indicated that he will decide his move in the Japanese ruling party's upcoming leadership election after the end of the current ordinary session of the Diet, the country's parliament.

"The time is now for the government and the ruling coalition to unite to regain the public's trust and concentrate on Diet debates" through the end of the current session, he told reporters in Hanoi on Saturday.

On whether he will run in the LDP presidential election this autumn, Kishida, chairman of the LDP Policy Research Council, said, "I'll make an appropriate decision while watching the political situation at the time," reiterating his stance of carefully consider the matter. He is regarded as one of possible candidates in the LDP race.

Diet business is set to resume on Monday after the end of Japan's Golden Week holiday period. The ordinary session is currently scheduled to end on June 20.

Japan's government and LDP-led ruling coalition have been under fire over a series of scandals, including alleged favoritism involving two private school operators and suspected sexual harassment by the country's former top Finance Ministry bureaucrat while in office.

Former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba and Wataru Takeshita, chairman of the party's decision-making General Council, who both have policy stances similar to Kishida's, have reportedly shown their readiness to ally with the LDP policy head.

On this, Kishida pointed out that policies are a major factor in the party leadership race. "We may not be able to reach a consensus on everything, but it's important to consider what we can agree and to have realistic discussions," he said.

Kishida stressed the need for careful debates on a possible revision to Japan's constitution, saying that it is important to proceed with the matter while gaining the public's understanding.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, current president of the LDP, has repeatedly said that there is no preset time frame for a constitutional revision, Kishida noted.

On Saturday, Kishida visited Vietnam Japan University, which was set up in Hanoi as a joint project of the two countries. The university opened in September 2016. Jiji Press