TOKYO: Yoshihide Suga was elected as Japan’s next prime minister by the country’s lower house of parliament on Wednesday, replacing Shinzo Abe who resigned because of poor health and promising to continue his signature economic policies.
The 71-year-old Suga – the son of a strawberry farmer – won the leadership contest of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Monday and was all but assured the top job when his appointment went to a vote in parliament given the party’s two-thirds majority.
Unlike his predecessors, Suga does not come from a privileged background and rose to the top of the LDP without belonging to any of its powerful factions.
Face of Abe government
As the face of the Abe government – helming regular news conferences as its chief spokesman – Suga cut a rather dour figure, but has attempted to portray a friendlier demeanour since he emerged as a frontrunner in the race to replace Abe.
The fight against the coronavirus will be a priority, but he has also signalled a continuation of the broad policy framework of Abenomics, the three-pronged strategy that was Abe’s signature policy and that involved monetary easing, government spending and structural reform.
He is expected to push forward with his own initiatives, including bureaucratic reform, digitalisation and helping Japan’s rural communities through policies on agriculture and tourism.
New cabinet
Suga appointed a new cabinet shortly after he became prime minister, keeping about half of the familiar faces from his predecessor’s lineup.
They include key players such as Finance Minister Taro Aso and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, along with Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto and Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
Abe’s younger brother, Nobuo Kishi, was handed the defence portfolio, while outgoing Defence Minister Taro Kono takes charge of administrative reform, a post he has held before.
Yasutoshi Nishimura, Abe’s point man on Covid-19 response, remains economy minister, while Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama, the son of a politician to whom Suga looked up as his mentor, also retains his post.