Japan: Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to bow out

Published on : 09/03/2021 – 08:11

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday (September 3) that he will not be running for the head of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), the ruling party, in the internal poll of September. He will effectively step down, PLD number two Toshihiro Nikai said on Friday.

“Honestly, I am surprised,” the latter told reporters. “It’s really unfortunate. He did his best, but after careful consideration he made his decision.”

Yoshihide Suga said he wanted to “focus his efforts on measures against Covid-19 and that he would not participate in the election [pour la présidence du PLD]”, added the number two of the party, confirming information from local media.

This development was indeed very unexpected, because Suga, 72, had so far been considered the favorite in this internal vote to lead the PLD in legislative elections due to be held this fall, despite record unpopularity of his government in the polls.

Fall in popularity in the face of Covid

Suga has seen his support rate drop below 30%, as Japan faces the worst wave of Covid-19 infections since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

At the end of August, his government received only 26% of favorable opinions in a poll by the daily Mainichi, a record low. Recent polls barely put it above 30%.

Yoshihide Suga has seen his popularity wane for months for his much-criticized handling of the dragging pandemic in Japan, and for his stubbornness in sustaining the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer at all costs, despite opposition from a majority of the Japanese population.

He came to power in September 2020, establishing himself at the time as the man of consensus within the PLD to succeed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, of whom he was until then the loyal lieutenant and who had abruptly resigned for health reasons.

With AFP