TOKYO: With his approval ratings plummeting and scandals within his own faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio will have to face an election in September in order to remain as president of his party. On Thursday, the first challenger threw his name into the ring.

It is not the first time Digital Minister KONO Taro has attempted to lead his party and become Prime Minister but the mood in Japan is for change and the English-speaking politician is hoping to ride his public popularity into the country’s top job.

Japanese media reported that Kono conveyed his intention to LDP Vice President ASO Taro, a former prime minister who heads an intraparty group that Kono belongs to, during a dinner meeting on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Kono, who is seen as a progressive within the conservative LDP, jokingly said, “I never tell anyone what is discussed over dinner.”

If the 61-year-old Kono runs, it would be a rare case of a minister challenging an incumbent prime minister, despite many within the ruling party becoming disenchanted with Kishida.

The approval ratings for Kishida’s Cabinet have plummeted to their lowest levels thanks to his perceived mishandling of a slush funds scandal.

Kono, a ninth-term House of Representatives lawmaker, has held key posts such as foreign minister and defense minister. In the 2021 LDP presidential race, Kono lost to Kishida in the second-round runoff.