Suga says virus to take priority in deciding on snap polls

As Japan's ruling party formally kicked off its leadership race on Tuesday, frontrunner and chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said that preventing the spread of the coronavirus should take priority in any decision to call a snap election.

Suga, a favourite to succeed incumbent Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is stepping down due to poor health, also stressed that the biggest job for the new prime minister will be to revive the coronavirus-ravaged economy. "Thinking about the dissolution of parliament and a general election, of course, we have to prioritize the coronavirus infection situation," Suga told a news conference on Tuesday.

"What all of our people are expecting is to see the coronavirus infection contained as soon as possible so they can feel safe and their daily lives return to normal." Suga is widely expected to win the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leadership election on Sept. 14, a date set after Abe's decision to step down last month.

The winner is virtually assured of becoming premier because of the LDP's parliamentary majority. Markets have been rife with speculation that if elected, Suga might call a snap election to solidify his political grip.. He signalled in an Asahi Shimbun interview that there was a chance of calling snap elections but cautioned that the coronavirus would impact any such decision.

That speculation got a boost after opinion polls showed a jump in voter approval of Suga and of Abe's achievements.

The LDP leadership race among Suga and two rivals - former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba and ex-foreign minister Fumio Kishida - kicked off formally on Tuesday.