Suga’s promise of stability and continuity offers peace of mind for the US.

Washington – The US government seeks to further strengthen ties with Japan after Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was elected Monday as the head of the ruling party, setting him up to succeed outgoing Shinzo Abe as the next prime minister. from the country.

Suga, 71, a longtime loyalist to Abe, has vowed to continue to value the alliance with the United States as the cornerstone of Japan’s diplomacy and security and to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region in the face of growing influence of China, policies that are in the line of Abe.

The continuity in Japan’s foreign policy is apparently reassuring to the US government, which has praised Abe for making their bilateral relationship what it calls “the strongest it has been” during its nearly eight years in office. the position before he decided to resign due to health problems. .

While noting that it is difficult to speak of a single perspective of the US government, especially before the November 3 presidential election, Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank based in Washington, said: “ There is strong bipartisan and popular support and respect for what Prime Minister Abe stood for and achieved during his tenure. “

Abe has pushed for the expansion of Japan’s role in regional security and international peacebuilding efforts, for example, by easing the restrictions imposed by its postwar pacifist constitution through the enactment of new security legislation in 2015.

The East Asia expert said that “it’s hard to imagine a Suga administration that doesn’t look much like the politics and policies of the Abe administration,” given that Suga, known for his behind-the-scenes coordination skills, played a role. in helping Abe rule. “

Suga is expected to be elected as the next prime minister in an extraordinary session of the Diet on Wednesday, given the dominance of his Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.

But Cronin noted that Suga’s “grand vision” of foreign policy is “opaque” and that he will eventually have to “forge his own identity and reach beyond (being) the man who helped Abe keep the system going.” if he can hold onto power long enough to prevail in a general election.

Suga has never served as minister of foreign affairs or defense and his diplomatic skills are largely unknown. He has served as Chief Cabinet Secretary for nearly eight years, holding press conferences twice a day as the government’s chief spokesperson.

The US-Japan relationship may also continue to be tested under the administration of US President Donald Trump, who has affirmed his “America first” agenda and pressured his allies, including Japan, to pay a share. higher than the cost of housing US forces.

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden has vowed to work with allies against global threats and revive America’s commitments to international institutions that have been undermined by Trump’s unilateralist stance.

The US government is also likely to pay attention to the new Japanese prime minister’s approach to China amid growing rivalry between the US and China.

The Washington Post said in an article that Suga will likely keep the alliance with the United States as the centerpiece, forging closer ties with democracies in the Asia-Pacific region, but also maintaining reasonably cordial ties with China.