Kishida Fumio

Seoul said that Kishida, who will step down after internal party elections in September, “actively expressed hope” to end his term on a high note in bilateral relations.

Japan will need another international statesman as prime minister. The jury is out as to whether Kishida’s successor, whomever that may be, will meet this high bar. 

Kishida, who has suffered dwindling support ratings that have dipped below 20 percent, will not seek re-election as the ruling party’s president in September.

Despite consistently low approval ratings, Kishida seems insistent on retaining the LDP presidency. How will he fare in the upcoming leadership race?

The upcoming LDP election will be a battle over policy and personality, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and his predecessor, Suga Yoshihide, symbolize the LDP's internal divide.

Nothing can substitute Japan’s collective defense with the United States, but working with a multilateral bloc such as NATO is an important effort to bolster deterrence. 

The two sides are expected to discuss a much-anticipated reciprocal access agreement that will remove hurdles to joint military exercises and deeper defense cooperation.

The Japanese leader missed his chance to hold a snap election and cement his power. Now his leadership of both party and country is in jeopardy.

Despite obvious friction points, the three leaders are hoping to make progress on economic cooperation – especially a long-sought FTA.

Sunday’s defeat marks a further setback for Kishida, who will seek reelection as his party’s leader in the fall.

In order to take a global leadership role in AI regulations and innovation, the Kishida administration must formulate its own legal framework at home. 

Unless Japan can truly offer progress on Pyongyang’s vital concerns, a bilateral summit is unlikely to materialize.

Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida addressed the U.S. Congress and met the president of the Philippines. However, a tentative offer to join the AUKUS security pact presents Japan with a dilemma.

The U.S. president is set to deliver the warning at this week's trilateral summit with the leaders of Japan and the Philippines.

The announcement of the joint South China Sea maneuvers is expected to be announced at a trilateral summit between the three nations next week.

Japan acknowledged it has been trying to arrange a bilateral summit but dismissed North Korea’s preconditions for such a meeting as unacceptable.

The trilateral summit, which will be held in Washington on April 11, comes at a time of increasing tension in the western Pacific.

Despite progress on key conservative priorities, the Japanese prime minister hasn’t been able to shake his liberal reputation.

Meeting in Tokyo, Prime Ministers Kishida Fumio and Giorgia Meloni discussed naval port calls, enlarged joint exercises, and expanded cooperation.

The battle against wage stagnation, a key goal of Kishida’s Cabinet, cannot be won without empowering labor unions.

Two recent legal rulings in South Korea are once again threatening to unravel the relationship.

Scandal after scandal has plagued the country since the late Abe era, each one further eroding public trust (and even interest) in government.

Despite a growing scandal and bottom-dwelling approval ratings, Prime Minister Kishida faces a window of stability.

The government is in damage control mode as it scrambles to contain public distrust over underreported fundraising revenue.