Fumio Kishida, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Policy Research Council, appeared on a TV program on the Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS) on Aug. 9. He said, “I must win when I fight. That’s a precious lesson for me,” and expressed his willingness to succeed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as LDP president and thus prime minister.

Kishida also said he learned the lesson when the “the Rebellion of Kato,” triggered by an internal power struggle in the LDP, took place in 2000. He added, “We should all consider what we can do after Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe’s era ends and be prepared for it.”