Twitter star to vaccine czar: Japan’s Taro Kono’s moment in the spotlight

FILE PHOTO: The head of Japan’s vaccination program, Taro Kono, adjusts his protective mask during a press conference on the country’s preparations to begin vaccinating health care workers, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak. (COVID-19), in Tokyo, Japan, on February 16, 2021. REUTERS / Issei Kato

TOKYO – Japan’s recently appointed vaccine czar, Taro Kono, is having a great time.

Twitter-savvy and educated at Georgetown University in Washington, Kono has seen his popularity rise even as the government of his boss, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, has come under fire for criticism for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two recent opinion polls have favored Kono, who is also minister of administrative reform, to be the next prime minister. As Japan launches its long-awaited COVID-19 vaccination campaign, its role as the program’s chief logistics officer has put it even more firmly in the spotlight.

Part of the appeal of Kono, in a nation known for its rigid leaders who follow the script, is its ability to interact directly with voters via social media – a stark contrast to Suga, who has been criticized for appearing rigid and distant from voters.

In recent weeks, the 58-year-old Kono has taken to Twitter to post videos on vaccine safety, repost memes and address media reports. He frequently responds directly to followers: 2.2 million on his Japanese account and 50,000 on his English account.

Last week he posted about conferences with governors about the coronavirus and a black mask embroidered with a dinosaur skull that he had worn the day before.

But for all his voter appeal and a resume that includes the foreign minister and defense, some in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), which he would lead as prime minister, are wary.

“He speaks English, he’s smart, he has a media presence and he uses social media, so that’s kind of cool,” said Scott Seaman, Asia director for the Eurasia Group in Washington. “But he would still have to lead the LDP. And that’s a skill. “

Given the majority of the PLD in parliament, its leader is virtually guaranteed the position of prime minister. Only two PLD presidents failed to become prime minister for brief periods when the party was out of power, including Kono’s father, Yohei.

Some say that the fact that his father was denied the top position may have helped fuel the son’s ambition for the position.

Kono declined a direct answer Tuesday on whether he could work with the party if he became prime minister, and his current job is a possible step towards that end.

“My job is the health of the Japanese people, let’s not politicize this job,” he told a news conference. “It is too important to politicize.”

Some in the PLD feel that he is too young, given that the average age since 2000 for prime ministers to take office is about 62 years. But his concerns also include his lone wolf character in a land that is based on consensus, as well as a frank streak and occasional divergence from the standard line.

Last month, Kono told Reuters that “anything is possible” regarding the Tokyo Olympics, breaking with the government’s promises that the Games, already postponed once, will open as planned in July.

Last year, as defense minister, he suddenly canceled the deployment of the US-made Aegis Ashore missile defense system without consulting others beforehand, a move that a PLD official said may have angered Japan’s key ally, the United States. United.

“I wonder if he will be able to build a good relationship with the United States as a result,” said the official, who asked not to be named given the sensitivity of the issue.

The faction-ridden PLD could prove difficult to execute. His tolerance for nonconformists like the popular Junichiro Koizumi, prime minister from 2001 to 2006, has waned in recent years, said political commentator Atsuo Ito.

“Your outspokenness is likely to go well with voters, but I’m not sure how well running a large organization would work,” added Ito.

However, Kono’s popularity may prove difficult for the PLD to resist and was likely part of Suga’s calculation in putting him in charge of launching the vaccine, to gain some support, political analysts said, though they wondered if Suga was also there. trying to neutralize. a political rival.

With a general election looming in October and the PLD chief’s term expiring in September, placing Kono in the top position could bring big benefits for the PLD candidates. But pitfalls remain, including the launch of the coronavirus vaccine in Japan.

“This is a gamble,” said the PLD official. “If the shot doesn’t go as planned, it’s the end for both Suga and Kono.”

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