According to a recent poll conducted by the Asahi Shimbun on July 20-21, it was reported that a vast majority of voters, specifically 74 percent, do not back Fumio Kishida serving as the Prime Minister following the upcoming Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election. In contrast, only 18 percent of respondents expressed support for Kishida to retain his position as the head of government.
The survey also revealed nuanced preferences among voters when it came to selecting a preferred replacement for Kishida. Notably, respondents were evenly split between Shigeru Ishiba, a former LDP secretary-general, and Shinjiro Koizumi, a former environment minister, as potential successors to Kishida. This data sheds light on the uncertainty surrounding the future leadership of Japan and the lack of a clear favorite among these prominent figures in the political landscape.