Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday that he would not seek to stay in office and that Japan would welcome a new leader this fall, Golden Finance reported. Kishida, 67, has strengthened ties with the United States and South Korea during his three years in power, and Japan's defense spending has almost doubled under his leadership. But at home, his popularity has been hit by political funding scandals and relatively high inflation. Kishida said at a press conference that he would not seek re-election as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the election scheduled for September. Traditionally, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party serves as prime minister or head of government. Potential successors to Kishida include Taro Kono, 61, the Minister of Digital Affairs, and Toshimitsu Motegi, 68, the former Foreign Minister. At the same time, some in the party have called for the election of a younger candidate, such as Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, the former Minister of the Environment.