One year after stepping down as prime minister and Liberal Democratic Party president to take responsibility for a political funds scandal, Fumio Kishida is attempting to raise his public profile with an eye on becoming the behind-the-scenes kingmaker for a preferred candidate in the party’s next presidential race or possibly even returning to power, himself.
Kishida has been active on the diplomatic front, attending last week’s Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). While Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was holding bilateral meetings with 34 visiting leaders, Kishida had more presence as the acting chair, leading all three conference plenary sessions.
On Aug. 18, Kishida hosted Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates at his Tokyo office. The two discussed international health and investment issues, and Gates expressed support for Japanese green technology research and startups, something that aligns with efforts his administration made in energy security and decarbonization, Kishida said on his X account.
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