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Suga officially replaces Abe as Prime Minister of Japan

2020-09-16T21:35:13.831Z


The former head of government, elected by 314 of the 462 deputies in parliament, promises to continue to boost the economy like his predecessor, but lacks international experience


Japan has opened a new stage.

Yoshihide Suga

, the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has been formally elected in Parliament as the new prime minister, replacing Shinzo Abe, who resigned on August 28 for health reasons after almost eight years as head of Government .

The hitherto head of the cabinet and minister spokesman, who in his first hours in office has appointed a continuation team, faces enormous challenges.

It will have to manage the covid-19 pandemic, which has left more than 76,000 cases and more than 1,400 fatalities.

And rescue an economy that the coronavirus has dealt a very severe blow.

In the extraordinary session of the Diet (the Japanese parliament) Suga, 71, received the support of 314 of the 462 seats.

In the upper house he obtained 142 votes out of a total of 243. There were no surprises: his appointment was something done since on Monday he was appointed as Abe's successor at the head of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), the majority in Parliament.

Upon announcing the result of the vote on Wednesday, amid the applause of the deputies, the already prime minister bowed five times, in as many bows, to thank his new position.

Suga, Abe's right-hand man during Japan's longest tenure in decades, had promised continuity, both on foreign policy and domestic issues.

His first decision, the appointment of his Government, confirms this.

Of twenty ministers, eleven have held positions in Abe's cabinet so far: eight hold the same position, while another three change portfolios.

Those who retain the post include two key ministers, Toshimitsu Motegi in Foreign Affairs and Taro Aso in Finance.

The hitherto Defense Minister, Taro Kono, perceived as a future

prime minister

, will be in charge of Administrative Reform;

Katsunobu Kato leaves Health and Labor to relieve Suga himself in the key position of Chief of Staff and Minister Spokesperson.

Among the most striking appeals is that of the new Defense Minister Kishi, Abe's younger brother.

The continuity will also extend to Abe's poor track record in selecting female candidates for his team.

In a cabinet of twenty portfolios, only two will correspond to women: Yoko Kamikawa will take care of Justice and Seiko Hashimoto, of the Olympic Games.

The new prime minister has assured that he will continue with the "Abenomics", the economic strategy that combines fiscal spending, a relaxed monetary policy to encourage growth and reforms.

Among them, it has advanced a regulatory reform that reduces the bureaucratic burden, and a digitalization that allows speeding up procedures.

In foreign policy, he will also keep Abe's course.

Suga, who lacks diplomatic experience, inherits from his predecessor the need to review national defense policy after plans for the deployment of the US Aegis missile shield failed.

It also faces the challenges that arise from the growing deterioration of relations between the United States, its main ally, and China, the neighbor and trading partner with which it has a territorial dispute over the Diaoyu / Senkaku islands in the sea. Eastern China.

Your lack of international experience, experts say, can be a drag.

"You will have to strengthen your exposure and your international presence and appoint a strong foreign minister who will speak on your behalf with authority," says Stephen Nagy of the International Christian University in Tokyo.

Continuity without guarantees

One of the great unknowns is how long the government of this workaholic politician will last.

In principle it is limited to one year, the remainder of Abe's term.

New internal elections within the PLD would be held in September next year, and the country would hold elections no later than October 2021.

But a series of statements by senior officials in the Liberal Democratic Party have sparked speculation about the possibility that Suga will take advantage of the foreseeable surge in popularity after his appointment to advance elections in the coming months.

This would reinforce her legitimacy —the PLD's vote that appointed her to the head of the formation was limited to just over half a thousand votes— and would grant her a four-year term.

On Monday, Minister Aso stressed that advancing the elections would be "necessary, given that the Olympic Games will be held next year."

Suga, on the other hand, has avoided speaking out and has limited himself to indicating that it is "a thorny matter."

Calling elections in the midst of a pandemic can lead to significant logistical complications, among other problems, as other politicians have recalled.



Source: elparis

All news articles on 2020-09-16

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