Japanese prime minister will step down amid record-low approval ratings

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced he would step down next month after grappling with record-low approval ratings.

Kishida’s announcement came only days before his ruling Liberal Democratic Party was set to announce the date of its triennial leadership vote, which is required to take place in September. While making progress in foreign policy, coming from his experience as foreign minister, he was widely seen as unable to confront the other problems crippling Japan, including a plummeting birth rate, stagnating economy, and growing debt.