TOKYO, Aug 20, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Japan's ruling party said Tuesday it will select a new leader -- and by extension the likely next prime minister -- on September 27.

The announcement follows current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's shock decision last week to step down next month after polls showed plummeting approval ratings for his government.

Campaigning to become the next Liberal Democratic Party president will begin on September 12 with a vote two weeks later, an internal committee decided early Tuesday, a party official told AFP.

In office since October 2021, the 67-year-old Kishida has seen his and his party's poll ratings slide sharply in response to rising prices and several scandals.

But Kishida won plaudits abroad during his stint in power, siding decisively with Ukraine after Russia's invasion, and with US encouragement moved to make Japanese defence policy more muscular to counter China.

Who will succeed Kishida remains to be seen, with a hodgepodge of candidates, from party veterans to rising young stars and three women, reportedly weighing their chances and seeking to rally intraparty support.

They include former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi and economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, who if elected would be Japan's first female premier.