Factbox-Japan PM Suga is stepping down. What's next for Japan's political calendar?

FILE PHOTO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attends a news conference on Japan's response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, June 17, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato/Pool/File Photo/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has announced he would not seek a second term as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, setting the stage for a new prime minister following a Sept. 29 party leadership vote.

So far lawmakers such as former foreign minister Fumio Kishida, COVID-19 vaccine minister Taro Kono, and former internal minister Sanae Takaichi have expressed their ambition to run for the post.