TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida marked 1,000 days in office on Saturday, becoming the country’s eighth prime minister to reach the milestone since the end of World War II.

To extend his tenure further, Kishida needs to win the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s upcoming leadership election, but there are no clear prospects for his re-election as LDP president as his cabinet’s approval ratings remain sluggish, fueling a sense of crisis within the party over the next general election.

“I have been working on challenges day after day with a sense of tension,” Kishida told reporters at the prime minister’s office on Friday. “This accumulation has led to today.”

Asked whether he plans to run in the LDP leadership race, Kishida said: “I’m doing my best to produce results, and I’m not thinking about anything beyond that now.”

In the history of Japan’s constitutional government, Shinzo Abe was the longest-serving prime minister with a total of 3,188 days in office, followed by Eisaku Sato with 2,798 days and Shigeru Yoshida with 2,616 days.

Since taking office, Kishida has made major policy decisions, including on defense capabilities and nuclear energy, that have been praised by not a few in the LDP.

However, his handling of the LDP’s high-profile “slush fund” scandal has caused discontent among party members and even friction with LDP Vice President Taro Aso, who has backed the Kishida administration.

Kishida has signaled his eagerness to stay on, saying that he is halfway to achieving his policies, including overcoming deflation and revising the Constitution. “He will not lose heart,” said a senior LDP member who recently had dinner with Kishida.

But a mid-ranking party member said cooly, “Staying in office for 1,000 days is enough.”

JIJI Press