Pressure on Japan’s prime minister will mount

Significance

This hurts Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s credibility within the LDP and the wider nation. A change of government following the next general election would be the first in over ten years.

Impacts

• Kishida will press ahead with the introduction of legislation to tighten controls on political expenses in an effort to regain voter trust.
• The prime minister will likely undertake a cabinet reshuffle and make changes to the LDP's senior leadership at the end of the Diet session.
• CDP leader Kenta Izumi will now be under less pressure.
• Attention will increasingly turn to the July 7 election for the Tokyo governorship.