Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Yoshihide Suga picked by Japan’s governing party to succeed Shinzo Abe

Yoshihide Suga picked by Japan’s governing party to succeed Shinzo Abe

TOKYO – Japan's governing party has elected Yoshihide Suga as its new leader to succeed Shinzo Abe, meaning he is almost certain to become the country's next prime minister.
Last month Mr Abe announced his resignation for reasons of ill health.
Mr Suga, 71, serves as chief cabinet secretary in the current administration and was widely expected to win.
He is considered a close ally of Mr Abe and likely to continue his predecessor's policies.
Mr Suga won the vote for the presidency of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) by a large margin, taking 377 of a total of 534 votes from lawmakers and regional representatives.
He saw off two other contenders - Fumio Kishida, a former foreign minister, and Shigeru Ishiba, a former LDP secretary-general and one time defence minister.
Now that the party has chosen its new leader, there will be another vote on Wednesday in parliament, where Mr Suga is almost certain to be made prime minister because of the LDP's majority.
Taking over mid-term, Mr Suga is expected to stay in post until elections due in September 2021.
Who is Yoshihide Suga? (BBC)