What the market wants to see and what is good for the macroeconomy in general is that we see a 'new wind',
Wage increases were the notable achievement of the Kishida administration and I hope the next government will continue that,
Yes, Kishida wasn't popular, but will his successor be able to better handle Japan's economy? Nobody knows,
The advent of exchange-rate inflation really, really hurt the prime minister,
You have to commend it,
By changing the face of the party, the LDP wants to have a fresh image and leave an impression that the LDP has changed. Unless they do that, they believe that they will have a problem,
Unless Mr Kishida stepped down, (LDP insiders believed that) the LDP would face big trouble at the next general election,
As a first step to impress on the public that the LDP has changed, I have decided not to run in the presidential race,
We have noted the announcement. This is Japan's domestic affair. We have no comment on it."
A transparent and open election and free and open debate are important. The first easy-to-understand step that indicates that the LDP will change is for me to step back,
We need to clearly show an LDP reborn,
Once a new leader is decided, I hope to see everyone unite and form a dream team to achieve politics that can gain public understanding,
I will not run for the upcoming party leadership election,
Mr. Kishida used that rhetoric very well – and it was not only rhetoric, but a reality in the world. Therefore, it was very convincing,
Kishida understood very quickly that this was a huge turning point in postwar history,
Ukraine’s example was perfect to convince Japanese people that, look, talking peacefully is not enough – something else needs to be done,
But I think [Kishida] went beyond Abe in many ways,
The perception [of Kishida] outside of Japan and inside of Japan are very different,
The new leader needs to be a fresh face, whether that means young or not associated with Kishida, and reform-minded,
It's a time for transition of power between generations,