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TOKYO: Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged on Wednesday (September 16) to keep coronavirus infections under control and boost a recessionary economy, as Shinzo Abe left office after an unprecedented tenure.
In his first remarks after being elected by parliament on Wednesday morning, Suga emphasized that he will be a continuity cabinet, seeking to promote the policies advocated by Abe.
“We need to carry out the policies that the Abe administration was promoting, I think that is the mission for which they have called me,” Suga told reporters.
He sidestepped questions about the possibility of an early election to consolidate his position, saying that “what the public wants at this point is for us to be able to end the pandemic soon and at the same time restore the economy.”
“Achieving both prevention of the spread of infection and rebuilding the economy is what they want most … We hope to do our best on this first.”
He devoted little to political ideology or foreign policy goals, promising instead administrative reforms, an end to “bureaucratic silos,” and further digitization of government.
READ: Pandemic-hit Japanese economy too weak for new prime minister’s reform plans: PIMCO
He said he will seek strong and continuous ties with Washington and stable relations with China and Russia.
But he did not offer details and did not mention the ongoing tensions with South Korea, or any specific details of its defense strategy, particularly towards North Korea.
“DIFFICULT TOPICS” IN THE FUTURE
The 71-year-old assumes the highest post after decades in politics, most recently as chief cabinet secretary, where he was a key executor of government policy and spokesperson.
Suga, Abe’s longtime adviser and right-hand man, has said his career was inspired by a desire to continue the policies of his predecessor.
His new cabinet is full of familiar faces, with Abe’s foreign and finance ministers remaining in office and the outgoing prime minister’s brother appointed to head the Defense Ministry.
Suga scored an easy victory in a vote in parliament, where his ruling Liberal Democratic Party has a dominant majority.
But now it faces a series of tough challenges, from immediate problems like the coronavirus and the postponed Olympics, to longer-term problems, including a declining population.
“Difficult problems are mounting before Suga’s cabinet,” said Shinichi Nishikawa, a political science professor at Meiji University in Tokyo.
“The coronavirus is the top priority to address. On the diplomatic front, there are many uncertain factors, including the US presidential election,” he told AFP.
Abe formally resigned on Wednesday along with his cabinet, ending his record career in office with one year remaining in his term.
He chose to resign after a recurrence of ulcerative colitis, a bowel disease that has long plagued him and also helped force an early end to his first term in office, after just one year.
“ALL MY STRENGTH”
He hands over the reins to a man who differs in many ways.
While Abe prioritized foreign relations, Suga is a diplomatic novice who is more comfortable negotiating between ministries and overcoming bureaucratic hurdles.
And unlike Abe, a blue-blooded politician, Suga is the son of a strawberry farmer father and school teacher mother, who grew up in rural Akita and worked in a factory while in college.
Suga’s new cabinet offers further evidence of his desire for continuity, with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi remaining alongside Finance Minister Taro Aso.
Only two women were named, as justice and Olympics ministers, compared to the three who served in the last Abe government.
On the economic front, Suga is said to be committed to his predecessor’s signature “Abenomics” program of vast government spending, massive monetary easing, and cutting red tape.
READ: The worst postwar economic recession in Japan could force the new leader to push the stimulus
Diplomatically, he is expected to prioritize the key relationship with the United States, whoever the president is after the November elections.
It will face a more sensitive issue over ties with China, with global sentiment tightening against Beijing in the wake of the coronavirus and unrest in Hong Kong.
Abe, who served as prime minister for a total of eight years, will remain as a legislator, and some will discuss the possibility that he could undertake diplomatic missions.
On Wednesday morning, as he prepared to resign, Abe said he had given “all my strength” and was ending his term “with a feeling of pride.”
“I owe everything to the Japanese people.”
