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Yoshihide Suga, The 71-year-old new head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which governs Japan, was elected Prime Minister by Parliament on Wednesday, replacing Shinzo Abe, who resigned for health reasons
Forty-eight hours after his triumphant election to the head of the PLD, Suga obtained 314 votes in favor out of 462 valid votes in the lower house of parliament, where the PLD and its coalition ally, the Komeito party, have a comfortable majority.
Shortly thereafter, the upper house of Parliament also approved the election of Suga, who was secretary general and spokesman for the government since the return to power of Shinzo Abe in late 2012.
The son of a farmer, with an atypical trajectory, he has faithfully advised Abe for many years, coordinating policy between the ministries and the numerous state agencies.
He knows all the ins and outs of the powerful Japanese bureaucracy, but he does not have the international stature of Shinzo Abe.
The 65-year-old outgoing prime minister broke longevity records in office but at the end of August decided to resign due to a bowel disease that was one of the reasons for the short duration of his first step in power (2006-2007 ).
Stability
Suga promised to follow the path of his predecessor, thereby promising a certain stability to the PLD barons, who gave him their support during the internal party election last Monday.
The composition of its new Executive, which is expected to be announced on Wednesday after the Parliament vote, should not reserve great surprises.
Key figures from the previous government team are expected to retain their posts, such as veteran Taro Aso (Finance) and Toshimitsu Motegi (Foreign Relations), according to national media.
In Defense, Taro Kono could be replaced by Nobuo Kishi, a brother of Shinzo Abe who, however, has the last name of his maternal grandfather, who was Prime Minister of Japan in the late 1950s.
Taro Kono would inherit the Administrative Reform portfolio, considered by Suga as a priority.
On the other hand, the post that Suga would vacate as government secretary general could be filled by outgoing Health Minister Katsunobu Kato.
Among the fronts that the future Suga government will have to deal with are the coronavirus crisis, the economic recession, the delicate question of whether or not to hold the Tokyo Olympics – postponed to the summer of 2021 – and the repercussions of tensions. international, especially between Washington and Beijing.
Suga is seen more as a pragmatic leader than a dogmatic one. Observers expect him to continue with Shinzo Abe’s economic policy, characterized by ultra-flexible monetary policy and massive fiscal stimulus, in addition to accelerating structural reforms.
Some LDP officials were in favor of holding early legislative elections, in order to consolidate Suga’s legitimacy and extend the duration of his term beyond Abe’s initial deadline, in autumn 2021.
But, for now, Suga considered that these elections are not a priority, also claiming that their convocation could be complicated, given that the coronavirus pandemic is not controlled.
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