Suga to succeed Shinzo in Japan

Special Desk

Yoshihide Suga may be the new leader to succeed Shinzo Abe, as Prime Minister in Japan. Last month Abe had announced his resignation for ill health.

Suga, 71, serves as chief cabinet secretary in the current administration. He is considered a close ally of Abe and likely to continue his predecessor’s policies. Suga won the vote for the presidency of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) by a large margin, taking 377 of a total of 534 votes from lawmakers and regional representatives. Born the son of strawberry farmers, Suga is a veteran politician.

He saw off two other contenders Fumio Kishida, a former foreign minister, and Shigeru Ishiba, a former LDP secretary-general and one time defence minister. Taking over mid-term, Suga is expected to stay in post until elections due in September 2021.

Given his central role of chief cabinet secretary in the administration, he is expected to provide continuity heading an interim government until the 2021 election.

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One of his most prominent appearances recently was during the transition from Emperor Akihito, who abdicated, to his son Naruhito in 2019. It fell to Suga to unveil the name of the new Reiwa era to the Japanese and global public.

Observers suggest that by then, the party dynamic could shift to put a more vibrant man at the helm who can reach a wider general electorate. Ahead of his election Mr Suga had pledged to expand Covid-19 testing and source vaccines for Japan by the first half of 2021. He also said he would raise the minimum wage, promote agricultural reforms and boost tourism. On foreign policy, too, he is expected to follow in Abe’s footsteps.