Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga Steps Down
Suga will not seek re-election as head of the ruling LDP this month, signaling the end of his tenure.
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Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga
Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga steps down in a surprising move.
Suga’s announcement came amidst a tumultuous year in office, which was marred by waning popularity due to widespread dissatisfaction with his handling of the pandemic.
The PM will not seek re-election as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) this month, as the party will choose a new leader to become prime minister.
Without quoting sources, TBS reported that "there is no clear frontrunner, but the popular minister in charge of vaccination rollout in Japan, Taro Kono, intends to run," while former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed he will run in the race.
Support for Suga has fallen below 30%, as Japan faces its worst wave of COVID-19 infections ahead of this year's general elections.
The resigned PM did not capitalize on his latest achievement, hosting the Tokyo Olympics, which was postponed months before he took office with the rise of COVID cases.
