Japanese Leader Fumio Kishida to Step Down

“Japan is set to get a new leader this fall after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday he wouldn’t seek to stay in office,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Kishida, 67, has bolstered relations with the U.S. and South Korea during his three years in office, and under his leadership Japan is nearly doubling its military spending to counter the growing threat from China. But at home, his popularity was hit by a political-funds scandal involving ruling-party heavyweights and relatively high inflation.”