Abe's Low-Key Foreign Minister Watched as Potential Rival
- Slumping cabinet support provides opening for potential rivals
- Kishida mentor tells him not to ‘hit a drowning dog’
Fumio Kishida
Photographer: Akio Kon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A self-effacing former banker, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida isn’t known for courting publicity in a way that comes naturally to most politicians.
So when he appeared this month with a comedian clad in clashing animal prints to promote a United Nations program, Japanese media outlets splashed the photos across newspapers and websites. The display also added to speculation that the normally low-key Kishida might be gearing up for a run to replace his increasingly unpopular boss, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.