After serving as Japan’s Prime Minister for almost eight years, Shinzo Abe resigned due to illness.
Yoshihide Suga then became Prime Minister of Japan after an election.
Although Yoshihide Suga is extremely well known in Japan, having served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and Chief Cabinet Secretary, he may not be as well known internationally.
This article provides a brief biography of Japan’s new Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga.
Career as a man of the world
The man holding the plaque is Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga.
What kind of career has he had?
He was born in 1948 into a family of strawberry farmers in Akita.
After graduating from high school, he came to Tokyo and worked in a cardboard factory.
After working there for two years, he enrolled into an evening program at Hosei University.
He worked part-time at a wholesale market during the day and spent his nights studying political science at university.
After graduating from college, he worked for a company that did maintenance and inspection of telecommunications equipment.
At the age of 27, he became the secretary of Senator Okonogi, where he worked for 11 years.
In 1987, he was elected as a member of the Yokohama City Council in Kanagawa Prefecture.
In 1996, he ran for election into the House of Representatives from the Liberal Democratic Party and entered national politics at the age of 47.
He served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2006 and as Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2012 to 2020.
His rise from strawberry farmer to prime minister is often referred to as a “man of the world”.
Political stance
Prime Minister Suga is said to be basically following the political stance of former Prime Minister Abe.
First and foremost, he is expected to focus on countermeasures against the corona virus and also economic measures.
Evaluation in Japan
He is said to have excellent practical skills, having served as Chief Cabinet Secretary for many years.
His ability to mobilize the bureaucracy and formulate concrete policies is among the best among Japanese politicians.
At the time of the election, many people said that he was the most qualified to be prime minister.
He has always been highly regarded, and I hope that he can achieve political results that live up to that reputation.
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