Japan’s Suga won’t seek party leadership

With popularity plunging, premier says he wants to focus on pandemic response

TOKYO — Amid growing criticism of his handling of the pandemic, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday that he won’t run for the leadership of the governing party later this month, paving the way for a new Japanese leader after just a year in office.

Suga told reporters that heading Japan’s pandemic response and campaigning to lead his governing Liberal Democratic Party divided his energies. “I have decided not to run for the party leadership elections, as I would like to focus on coronavirus measures,” Suga told reporters.

Suga has faced criticism and nosediving public support over a coronavirus response seen as too slow and limited and for holding the Olympics despite the public’s health concerns. His hope that the Olympic festivities would help reverse his plunging popularity was also dashed.

He said he had put all his energy into important issues, including the virus response, since taking office.

“But doing both takes enormous energy, and I have decided that I should just choose one or the other,” he said. “As I have repeatedly said, protecting people’s lives and health is my responsibility as prime minister, and that’s what I will dedicate myself to.”

The Liberal Democrats and their coalition partner have a majority in parliament, meaning whoever wins the Sept. 29 party vote is virtually guaranteed to become the new prime minister.

The official start of the party campaign is Sept. 17. Candidacy requires factional support largely controlled by party heavyweights, and their choices may not match those favored in public opinion surveys.

Two Cabinet ministers in former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government have come out as potential candidates: dovish former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, currently seen as a top contender, and former Interior Minister Sanae Takaichi, who shares Abe’s right-wing ideology.

Current Vaccinations Minister Taro Kono also expressed interest Friday, saying he will make a decision after consulting fellow lawmakers. Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, a favorite in media surveys, and Seiko Noda, former gender equality minister, also reportedly have expressed intentions to run.

Suga’s decision is largely seen as a political move so the party can have a fresh leader before national elections. The lower house term ends in late October and elections must be held by late November.

Suga took office in mid-September last year after Abe resigned because of health problems.

The son of a strawberry farmer from Japan’s northern prefecture of Akita, Suga enjoyed support ratings as high as 70% early in his tenure because he was seen as a leader from the common people rather than blue-blood political families like Abe.

Suga introduced a series of pragmatic measures including digital transformation of the economy and administrative reforms, but his ratings slid quickly over his coronavirus measures as Japan’s outbreak grew.

He was forced into declaring a state of emergency in January and has since repeatedly expanded and extended the emergency measures, most recently until Sept. 12. In the latest media surveys, his support ratings have declined to around 26%.

“Being forced to live under restrictions, people have become increasingly frustrated and their dissatisfaction is nearing its peak, and that’s the biggest reason causing Suga’s administration to end,” the Mainichi newspaper commented.