TOKYO:  Japanese Prime Minister; Yoshihide Suga is set to step down from office and he will not run in a ruling party leader race in September, setting the stage for his replacement after just one year in office, according to a party source.

Suga, who took over after Shinzo Abe resigned last September, citing ill health, has seen his support ratings sink to below 30 percent as the nation struggles with its worst wave of Covid-19 infections ahead of a general election this year.

Ruling Liberal Democratic Party officials said Suga would finish his term as its president, meaning he would stay on until his successor is chosen in a party-wide election slated for Sept. 29. The government has been considering holding the general election on October 17.

According to two party sources who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation said, Suga was planning to reshuffle his cabinet and party executives, but those plans were no longer valid.

“Honestly, I’m surprised,” said LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai, who had declared his support for Suga in party leadership contest.

Fumio Kishida, a former foreign minister, is competing for the party leader post. On Thursday, Kishida criticised Suga’s coronavirus response and urged a stimulus package to combat the pandemic.

“Kishida is the top runner for the time being but that doesn’t mean his victory is assured,” said Koichi Nakano, political science professor at Sophia University.

Unlike last year, grassroots LDP members will vote along with its members of parliament, which makes the outcome of the party leader race harder to predict. Novice MPs, fearful of losing their seats, may be wary of following their elders’ orders.

Suga’s image as a savvy political operator capable of pushing through reforms and taking on the stodgy bureaucracy propelled his support to 74 per cent when he took office.

Initially, populist promises such as lower mobile phone rates and insurance for fertility treatments were applauded. But removing scholars critical of the government from an advisory panel and compromising with a junior coalition partner on policy for healthcare costs for the elderly drew criticism.