Yoshihide Suga elected as Japan's new PM, cabinet announcement soon

Japan's parliament elected Yoshihide Suga as country's new Prime Minister on September 16, with  ruling party president securing an easy win. Suga received 314 votes in favour out of 462 valid ballots cast in lower house of parliament. According to local media reports, re won’t be a drastic change in new cabinet under leership of Suga as Abe’s successor has pledged to carry on many of current programmes, including “Abemics”.

Finance Minister Taro Aso, Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi and Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto and Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi are expected to retain ir portfolio. Yasutoshi Nishimura could be reappointed as ecomy minister and Tre and Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama is expected to retain his post.

Katsubu Kato, health minister kwn for his swift COVID-19 response at early st of pandemic, is set to take over Suga’s post as chief cabinet secretary. While current Defence Minister Taro Ko will take charge of ministrative reform, Abe’s younger bror, buo Kishi, is likely to get defence portfolio.

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Continuity of policies

Suga is expected to finish rest of current term until elections in September 2021 and any dramatic shift in key policy decisions is highly unlikely. One of toughest challenges would be handling of coronavirus pandemic as Abe faced backlash over COVID-19 response during second wave. 

Tokyo Olympics is ar major challenge for Suga as Japan is set to host international sporting event next year, which will just two months before polls. Holding a large scale sporting event with strict COVID-19 measures could be a big task for Suga if athletes and staff don’t get immunised before Olympics.

Earlier, Abe lamented that government under his leership wasn’t able to achieve some goals, is an apparent reference to revise constitution. outgoing Japanese PM wanted to write existence of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces into Article 9 which would have given a constitutional standing to military.

“However, we were able to take a shot at, and achieve, or divisive issues,” Abe said in a video posted on Twitter.

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