During that time the country has had 34 prime ministers, including plenty of forgettable faces and reviled figures.
This historic nadir comes as Mr Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Party (ldp), which has held power almost continuously ever since its formation in 1955, faces its biggest financial scandal in decades. The party’s “factions”, or institutionalised groupings of lawmakers, have been accused of systematically under-reporting ticket sales at fundraisers and kicking back the proceeds to members.
A little mistake may go unnoticed but a blatant error demands attention.