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Japan’s new prime minister Yoshihide Suga. Photo: Reuters

Explainer | Yoshihide Suga: who is Japan’s new prime minister?

  • Suga, 71, is a farmer’s son who was described as a ‘shadow prime minister’ during his career as Shinzo Abe’s top spokesman
  • His notorious work ethic, which sees him living near the office and doing 200 sit-ups a day, is almost matched by his love of pancakes
Japan’s new prime minister Yoshihide Suga on September 16 became the country’s first leader in nearly eight years, forming a cabinet of familiar faces to stay the course set by his predecessor Shinzo Abe.

Suga’s government posted the third-highest support levels recorded for a premier entering office, with a support rate of 74 per cent, the Nikkei newspaper said in a survey released on September 18. This was higher than the 62 per cent seen by Abe in 2012.

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As Abe’s top spokesman, Suga fronted daily news briefings, one of which led to him being known as “Uncle Reiwa” after he unveiled Emperor Naruhito’s imperial era name. His reputation for being a hard-nosed lieutenant who managed bureaucrats and pushed policies prompted observers to describe him as a “problem-solver”, “seat-warmer” and “shadow prime minister”.
Suga comes to the top job at a time when Japan is grappling with a coronavirus-hit economy, while longer-term challenges include the country’s low birth rate, geopolitical tensions and the US-China rivalry.

02:11

Japan’s new PM Yoshihide Suga inherits economic woes, Tokyo Olympics challenge

Japan’s new PM Yoshihide Suga inherits economic woes, Tokyo Olympics challenge

Who is Suga and how did he rise to the top job?

The son of a strawberry farmer, Suga grew up in rural Akita prefecture in northern Japan and left for Tokyo instead of taking over his family’s farm.

He worked at a cardboard factory before entering university, and paid his tuition by working part time, including at the Tsukiji fish market.

Suga was elected to the lower house of parliament in 1996 at age 47, a late start compared to politicians like Abe, a third-generation politician elected to parliament at 29. Before that, Suga was a secretary to a former trade minister and a Yokohama city assemblyman.

“I jumped into politics, where I had no connection or relatives, literally starting from zero,” he said when accepting his nomination as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Japan’s new LDP chief Yoshihide Suga, right, presents flowers to outgoing Shinzo Abe on September 14, 2020. Photo: AFP
Suga has been a loyal supporter of Abe since the latter’s first stint as prime minister in 2006. He helped Abe return to power in 2012, until he resigned over ill health.

During Abe’s term, Suga helped to push through several landmark policies, including a loosening of restrictions on foreign workers.

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When Abe announced his intention to resign in August, Suga struggled to break 15 per cent in opinion polls. But Japan’s public has warmed to him, as it became clear he would take over and bring familiar policies to an uncertain time.

Suga’s opinion rating of 74 per cent, based on a Nikkei poll, is behind only the 80 per cent Junichiro Koizumi secured in 2001, and the 75 per cent seen by Yukio Hatoyama when he entered office in 2009.

Respondents gave Suga high marks for bringing a sense of trust and stability, said the Nikkei, whose survey data goes back to 1987.

Yoshihide Suga poses with supporters in Chiba Prefecture on July 16, 2019. Photo: Twitter

What are Suga’s challenges as leader?

Top on the Suga administration’s list is to revive the economy and bring the coronavirus under control. In the longer term, the government will tackle issues such as the low birth rate and ageing population.
He has told the president of the International Olympic Committee that he is behind next year’s delayed Tokyo Games.
Unlike Abe, who floated grand goals such as constitutional revisions, Suga looks set to take a more populist approach to address people’s everyday concerns, analysts said.

“Suga aims to score small success,” said political analyst Atsuo Ito in a TBS television talk show. “He would dig into things that many people think are not right and need to be changed.”

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Suga has said he would continue Abe’s signature “Abenomics” strategy of a flexible fiscal stance and ultra-easy monetary policy.
He has pledged to target vested interests and rules hampering reforms to get more done. One such plan is to form an agency to promote digital transformation.

The leader also promised to make fertility treatments eligible to be covered by national health insurance to help boost the country’s birth rate, and to revive regional economies that have shrivelled along with the greying population.

Suga is known to support what would be a historic change in Japan’s immigration policy to allow more foreign workers to offset the decline in Japan’s ageing workforce.

He has credited himself for a boom in foreign tourism, which he hopes to revive when the pandemic subsides.

01:19

Japan’s outgoing prime minister Shinzo Abe bids farewell

Japan’s outgoing prime minister Shinzo Abe bids farewell
Japan’s security alliance with the United States will remain the foundation of its foreign policy, said Suga.
The new leader, whose résumé is thin on diplomatic experience, faces challenges such as balancing Japan’s economic interdependence on China at a time when it is increasing its activities in the disputed East China Sea, and also maintaining ties with neighbours such as South Korea, where ties are at their lowest point in years.

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While Suga’s appointment of defence minister Nobuo Kishi, known for his close ties to Taipei, sparked a response by Beijing, analysts said the move did not mean Japan would form official relations with the self-ruled island.

“Security really matters right now and, given the direction of the current US government, I would say that while Suga knew China might be upset at the appointment of Kishi, they probably feel that they can handle the situation,” said Koichi Nakano, a professor of politics at Tokyo’s Sophia University.

Suga has said he will also work towards securing the return of Japanese nationals who were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

What’s Suga like in his personal life?

At 71 years and 9 months, Suga is the oldest leader to take office in three decades, a fact belied by his work ethic and disciplined fitness routine.

He does 100 sit-ups each in the morning and at night, and takes long walks while wearing a business suit to be better able to rush back to work in case of an emergency.

Suga commutes from a parliamentary apartment and hardly goes back to his home in Yokohama. He only eats soba noodles for lunch, which he says allows him to finish his meal within five minutes.

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“Where there’s a will, there’s a way” is Suga’s motto. His strong-willed nature has led one observer to compare him with China’s billionaire entrepreneur Jack Ma, whose own catchphrase is “never give up”.

Veteran political journalist Yasuhiro Tase said Ma and Suga came from humble backgrounds, with Ma once working as a trishaw driver, and both had pulled themselves up by their bootstraps.

“I have a feeling that Suga’s plainness may win him great popularity among Japanese households,” Tase said in an editorial for Nippon.com. “While many people suggest that his government will merely follow the lead set by his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, I believe the opposite to be true.”

With Abe gone, could Suga hit sweet spot between China, US?

Suga says he has a weakness for sweet treats, especially pancakes and daifuku mochi, a Japanese rice dessert filled with sweet bean paste.

Since his election, the Australian restaurateur behind Suga’s favourite pancake place has jokingly offered to make the famous ricotta hot cakes at the new prime minister’s residence.

“I trust someone who enjoys their food, and especially enjoys their pancakes,” Bill Granger said.

“He sounds very humble and … seems like a very real person,” he said. “When we get important people coming in, we usually have their assistants letting us know. He’s never tried to jump the queue.”

Reporting by Kyodo, AFP, AP, Julian Ryall

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