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By Kiyoshi Takenaka
TOKYO, Sep 14 (Reuters) – Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga scored a landslide victory in the ruling party’s leadership elections on Monday, paving the way for him to replace outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the first change Japan’s leader in nearly eight years.
Abe resigns due to health problems, ending his term as Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. The winner of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) elections is practically certain of becoming prime minister thanks to the PLD’s parliamentary majority.
This is where Suga finds himself on key policies.
ECONOMY
Abe’s longtime deputy, Suga aims to continue the incumbent’s hyper-easy monetary policy, increased public spending and structural reforms, dubbed “Abenomics.”
Suga also plans to uphold Abe’s policy of prioritizing economic growth over efforts to fix the country’s ailing finances.
He said on Sunday that there was no limit to the number of bonds the government can issue to support an economy hit by the coronavirus pandemic, and indicated that it could seek a third additional budget to combat the economic recession.
“Only when we have economic growth can we push through tax reform,” Suga said.
Suga has expressed his willingness for the central bank to take additional easing measures to protect jobs.
When asked if he would keep Finance Minister Taro Aso in his post, Suga said Monday that Aso was a mainstay of the current cabinet, but had not decided whether to ask Aso to stay.
Suga is opposed to reducing the sales tax rate of 10%. Some lawmakers have proposed cutting the tax to reduce the burden of the pandemic on households.
The son of a farmer in northern Japan, Suga considers revitalizing the regional economy as one of his key priorities.
REFORMS
Suga favors further consolidation of regional banks, has demanded that mobile phone operators cut rates and plans to appoint reform-minded people to cabinet posts.
“I want to go ahead with the regulatory reforms thoroughly,” he said Monday.
Suga aims to form an agency to promote the government’s digital strategies under one roof and said in a recent newspaper interview that he would study a possible reform of the Health Ministry.
It urges companies to set recruitment targets to help advance women in society and proposes insurance coverage for fertility treatments as the country faces severe depopulation.
DIPLOMACY, SECURITY
Suga regards Japan’s alliance with the United States as the pillar of Tokyo’s diplomacy and security, and seeks stable ties with neighboring countries, including China.
Suga has said that he is willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without preconditions to solve the problem of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea decades ago.
He is in favor of revising the pacifist US-drawn constitution, a highly prized goal of Abe that ultimately eluded the outgoing prime minister.
When asked about his position on the possibility of Japan acquiring the ability to strike enemy targets last week, he said he would first observe the ruling party’s debate, without specifying his position on the issue.
Suga on Saturday defended his expertise in diplomacy, an area where experts say his résumé is quite sparse, saying he has been involved in every major foreign policy decision under Abe.
CORONAVIRUS AND BEYOND
Suga aims to increase coronavirus testing capacity and ensure a sufficient vaccine for the entire population of Japan by the middle of next year.
He made a cautious note in calling early elections on Monday, saying preventing the spread of the coronavirus and reviving the economy would be a priority in making such a decision.
In a recent interview with Reuters, he said Japan would do “whatever it takes” to ensure that it could host the Olympics next year. The event was originally planned for this summer, but was postponed for a year due to the pandemic. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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