Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide Officials said that he will withdraw from the party leadership election in September, laying the foundation for his replacement only one year after taking office.
Yoshihide Suga took over after Shinzo Abe resigned on the grounds of ill health in September last year. His approval rating has dropped below 30% as the country responded to the worst wave of COVID-19 infections before this year’s general election.
After reports that Yoshihide Suga will not run for the president of the ruling party, Japan’s Nikkei futures rose 2%.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party official stated that Yoshihide Suga will complete his presidency, which means he will remain in office until his successor is elected in the party-wide elections scheduled for September 29.
Since the Liberal Democratic Party has a majority in the House of Commons, the winner of the contest is almost certain to become the prime minister. The government has been considering holding a general election on October 17.
“To be honest, I was surprised,” said Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, who announced his support for Suga Yoshihide during the party’s leadership competition.
Nijing said that Suga Yoshihide is planning to reorganize his cabinet and party executives, but these plans are no longer effective.
Former foreign minister Fumio Kishida is competing for the leadership of the party. Thursday, Kishida criticizes Yoshihide Suga’s response to the coronavirus And urged the introduction of a stimulus package to fight the pandemic.
Koichi Nakano, professor of political science at Sophia University, said: “Kishida is currently the front runner, but this does not mean that his victory is certain.”
Nakano said that Taro Kono, the popular Minister of Administrative Reform, could stand for election if he was supported by his faction leader Taro Aso, while former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba could also stand for election, but he seemed to be at a disadvantage.
Unlike last year, the grassroots members of the Liberal Democratic Party will vote together with the party’s MPs, which makes it more difficult to predict the outcome of the party leaders’ elections. New members are afraid of losing their seats and may be cautious about following the orders of their elders.
Daiju Aoki, chief Japanese economist at UBS SuMi TRUST Wealth Management, said: “This is an accident, but it provides more certainty and forward-looking prospects than uncertainty, because the market already understands Kishida’s expansionary fiscal policy. And other policies.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigns, clearing the way for his successor Yoshihide Suga
As a savvy political operator, Yoshihide Suga was able to promote reforms and deal with tedious bureaucracies, which brought his approval rate to 74% when he took office.
Initially, populist promises such as lower cell phone rates and maternity treatment insurance were praised.
However, removing scholars who criticized the government from the advisory group and compromising with the junior coalition partners on the elderly health care cost policy aroused criticism.
His postponement of stopping the “Go To” domestic travel plan-experts say it may help spread the coronavirus in Japan-has been hit hard, and the public is fed up with the state of emergency that is damaging businesses.
(Reporting by Tokyo Branch. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
