Japanese government: Prime Minister Suga announces resignation


Status: 03.09.2021 09:16 a.m.

Japan’s Prime Minister Suga surprisingly gives up his post as party leader of the LDP. This should also mean that the days of prime minister are numbered. He was criticized for his Corona policy and the Olympic Games.

By Kathrin Erdmann, ARD Studio Tokyo

With his surprising withdrawal, the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is drawing the consequences of the persistently poor poll results for him and his party, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). His one-year term ends at the end of September.

Actually, he had planned a cabinet reshuffle for the coming week to lift the bad mood among the people. But in the end the pressure might have become too great. Suga was criticized primarily because of his corona policy and also because of his stubborn adherence to the Olympic Games and the Paralympics.

Big problems due to the corona pandemic

Although the government had taken the will of the people into consideration by excluding spectators from the Games, the corona numbers had soared, especially during the Olympics, and have remained at a high level since then.

Many Japanese people have resented the government that they started vaccinating so late and were hesitant at first. Especially restaurateurs are suffering from the state of emergency that has been in place for months, because they are supposed to keep their shops closed in the evening.

Bad election results

In the regional elections in Tokyo in July, the LDP had become the strongest force, but had missed a majority with its coalition partner. At the end of August, she was voted out of office in Japan’s second largest city, Yokohama.

A new party leader will be elected at the end of September. The most promising candidate is the former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. If the LDP remains the strongest party in the autumn general election, he would become head of government.

Japan’s Prime Minister Suga gives up

Kathrin Erdmann, ARD Tokyo, September 3, 2021 8:17 am



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