US trip by Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga sparks speculation he is gearing up for country’s top job after Shinzo Abe
- Coming visit to Washington for meeting with US Vice-President Mike Pence suggests Abe’s right-hand man is being groomed for greater things
- There is growing support within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party for a leader not from a political family, observers say
As the ever-present chief cabinet secretary since his appointment in 2012, Yoshihide Suga has been a loyal and hardworking lieutenant for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. And on more than one occasion, he has brushed off suggestions he might one day himself lead the country, insisting he is focused on the current administration’s policy objectives.
But recent developments indicate he may have changed his mind.
Long seen as a master of domestic issues, the announcement that Suga would travel to the United States next month for talks with Vice-President Mike Pence and other senior officials has triggered renewed speculation over whether he is being groomed for the highest office after Abe finally steps down from what is likely to be the longest premiership in Japanese history.
The suggestion is that Suga’s trip will serve to introduce him to Japan’s most important security ally and a critical trade partner while earning him much-needed experience in the international arena.
Suga, 70, is scheduled to arrive in Washington on May 9 for only his second official overseas trip in six-and-a-half years.