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Yoshihide Suga was elected as Japan’s next prime minister by the country’s lower house of parliament on Wednesday, replacing Shinzo Abe, who resigned due to poor health and vowed to continue his distinctive economic policies.
Suga, 71, the son of a strawberry farmer, won the leadership contest of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) on Monday and was nearly secured for the highest position when his nomination was put to a vote in parliament, given the party situation. two-thirds majority.
After years of economic stagnation and already struggling with the long-term effects of the world’s oldest population, Japan has been hit hard by COVID-19.
The world’s third-largest economy contracted a record 27.8 percent from April to June this year compared to the previous quarter due to pandemic-related lockdowns that only eased in late May.
Unlike his predecessors, Suga did not come from a privileged background and rose to the top of the PLD without belonging to any of its powerful factions.
As the face of the Abe government, which ran regular press conferences as its main spokesperson, Suga had a rather stern figure, but has tried to display a friendlier demeanor since emerging as one of the pioneers in the race to replace Abe.
People read additional editions of a newspaper reporting Suga’s victory in the ruling party’s leadership contest on Monday; With the vast majority of the party in parliament, he was almost certain as prime minister in Wednesday’s vote. [Issei Kato/Reuters]
The fight against the coronavirus will be a priority, but it has also signaled a continuation of the Abenomics’ broad policy framework, the three-front strategy that was Abe’s signature policy, including monetary easing, public spending, and structural reform.
It is expected to push forward its own initiatives, including bureaucratic reform, digitization, and helping rural communities in Japan through policies on agriculture and tourism.
The former chief cabinet secretary and Abe loyalist will announce his cabinet later on Wednesday and is expected to keep many members of Abe’s team in place.
Analysts say his insiders’ knowledge of the complexities of the Japanese bureaucracy and skillful political negotiation of his long tenure as Abe’s right-hand man should aid in the formidable challenges ahead.
“No one has served as long a term as Suga,” Kiyoaki Aburaki, managing director of BowerGroup Asia in Tokyo, told Al Jazeera before the vote. “He knows everything. He knows how the government works. He knows how sectionalism has previously prevented change. That is a great advantage for him.”
