TOKYO: KISHIDA Fumio became the 10th longest-serving prime minister in Japan’s postwar history with Wednesday marking his 864th day in office.

Kishida now shares his record with SUZUKI Zenko, who was also from Kochikai, a faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that was, up until recently, led by Kishida.

“Every day, I put everything I have into tackling issues that cannot be put off any longer,” Kishida told reporters on Tuesday.

The longest-serving prime minister from Kochikai is faction founder IKEDA Hayato, who filled the post of the country’s leader for 1,575 days.

Kishida will need to remain in office until Jan. 25, 2026, in order to tie Ikeda’s record.

This means that Kishida will have to win the next LDP leadership election, which will be held due to the expiration this September of Kishida’s current term as LDP chief, and emerge victorious in a House of Representatives election, to be held before the current Lower House lawmakers’ terms run out in October 2025.

Kochikai has produced five prime ministers, with the remaining two being MIYAZAWA Kiichi, who served for 644 days, and OHIRA Masayoshi, who was in office for 554 days.

In January this year, Kishida announced that Kochikai will be disbanded following a high-profile political funds scandal involving LDP factions.

The scandal has also led to a decline in public approval ratings of the Kishida cabinet.

While Suzuki, Kishida’s fellow recordholder, tried to achieve an intraparty harmony through the so-called politics of harmony, he ultimately announced in October 1982 not to seek reelection as LDP president.

Suzuki, during his time as prime minister, put his energy into administrative and fiscal reforms.

Kishida is hoping to improve his cabinet approval rates by achieving wage hikes exceeding the pace of price increases and a complete exit from deflation.

JIJI Press