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Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has announced that he will not run for the presidency of his ruling party later this month – paving the way for a new prime minister after just one year in office marred by an unpopular response to COVID-19.
Mr. Suga was appointed to the position in September last year after the resignation of Shinzo Abe, who resigned due to health reasons.
Despite early support, his approval ratings fell to an all-time low, as Suga faced criticism over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his decision to host the Tokyo Olympics despite mounting infections.
Japan remains in a state of emergency and is currently struggling with the worst wave of the coronavirus, with more than 1.5 million cases since the start of the epidemic.
Suga, 72, told reporters that he was planning to run for the Sept. 29 race to lead his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), but that he led Japan’s response to the pandemic and his campaign for the LDP job at the same time divided his energies.
“I have decided not to run for the party leadership election, as I would like to focus on the coronavirus measures,” Suga said.
Mr. Suga, the son of a strawberry farmer from northern Akita Prefecture, originally had approval ratings of 70% early in his tenure because he was seen as the leader of the common people rather than blue-blooded political families like the Abe.
When he took office, he introduced a series of pragmatic measures including digital transformation and administrative reforms, but public support waned due to his virus measures.
Anti-Olympic protesters take to the streets of Tokyo
The rise in COVID-19 cases and the government’s decision to host the Olympics has pushed public support for it down to around 26% in the latest media poll.
The LDP has a majority in parliament and a new leader is likely to take the party to national elections this year.
The term of the House of Representatives expires in late October, and elections for a new parliament are scheduled for late November.
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