Riding on G7 success, Japan PM Kishida eyes early election

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a bilateral meeting held by U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres (not pictured), on the sideline of the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima, western Japan May 21, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/Pool

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is increasingly certain to call a snap election, perhaps within weeks, as domestic support surges after a G7 summit that drew a surprise visit by Ukraine's president.

While an election for parliament's more powerful lower house is not due until 2025, Kishida is keen to beef up his strength in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ahead of a leadership race next fall, to ensure his re-election and retain the premiership.