Tokyo, 14 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will not stand for re-election in September, he announced on Wednesday.

He would not run in the upcoming election for chairman of his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in September, Kishida said.

The head of the party, which has ruled almost continuously for decades, is usually also the prime minister.

At a press conference Kishida said his decision was "a first step to impress on the public that the LDP has changed," the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Wednesday.

Kishida said his party "should work as one" under a new leader to restore public trust in politics and address challenges like a declining birthrate in an ageing society and to bolster defence capabilities, Kyodo reported.

He declined to comment on who would be the best choice for next party chief and prime minister.

Kishida's support ratings have dipped below 30% in the wake of a donation scandal in his party, which centres on several members of the LDP who are accused of not correctly declaring income from fundraising events.

Under Kishida, who has been prime minister since 2021, Japan undertook a change in its security strategy, aimed at countering China's striving for power and North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programme, which Tokyo sees as a threat.

At the end of 2023, he boosted military spending by 17% to 7.9 trillion yen ($53 billion), in line with a decision to spend a total of around 43 trillion yen on defence by 2027.