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shinzo abe resigns

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Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Yoshihide Suga has been elected by Japan’s parliament as the country’s new prime minister, following the surprise resignation of Shinzo Abe.

After winning the leadership of the governing party earlier this week, today’s vote confirms the former chief cabinet secretary’s new position.

A close ally of Shinzo Abe, Yoshihide Suga is expected to continue his predecessor’s policies.

Shinzo Abe announced his resignation last month citing health issues.

On September 16, Shinzo Abe held his final cabinet meeting and told reporters he was proud of his achievements during his nearly eight years in power.

Yoshihide Suga then easily won a poll for prime minister in the Diet, Japan’s lower house, receiving 314 out of 462 votes.

Given that a coalition headed by his conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) holds the majority in the house, Yoshihide Suga’s win was widely expected.

Along with his new cabinet Suga will later be ceremonially endorsed by the emperor at the Imperial Palace.

Japan: PM Shinzo Abe Resigns for Health Reasons

A veteran politician and long-time cabinet member, Yoshihide Suga takes the lead at a difficult time for the world’s third-largest economy.

Like many other nations, Japan is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic which has caused the biggest economic slump on record following years of economic stagnations.

Japan is also dealing with a rapidly ageing society, with nearly a third of the population older than 65.

Yoshihide Suga, 71, has served for years as chief cabinet secretary, the most senior role in government after the prime minister.

He has already promised to carry on much of the previous administration’s agenda, including the economic reform program dubbed Abenomics.

Born the son of strawberry farmers, Yoshihide Suga comes from a humble background that sets him apart from much of Japan’s political elite.

He only slowly within the political ranks. He first worked as a secretary for an LDP lawmaker before eventually embarking on his own political career, from city council elections to becoming a member of the Diet in 1996.

In 2005 he became a cabinet minister under Junichiro Koizumi and gained further influence in the subsequent Abe cabinet.

As Shinzo Abe’s right-hand man, Yoshihide Suga gained a reputation for being efficient and practical and the outgoing prime minister strongly supported his ally’s bid for the leadership.

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Image source kremlin.ru

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has decided to resign for health reasons.

Shinzo Abe, 65, said he did not want his illness to get in the way of decision making, and apologized to the Japanese people for failing to complete his term in office.

He has suffered for many years from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, but he said his condition had worsened recently.

In 2019, Shinzo Abe became Japan’s longest serving prime minister. His current period in office began in 2012.

Shinzo Abe will remain in his post until a successor is chosen.

In 2007, he resigned abruptly from an earlier term as prime minister because of his struggles with ulcerative colitis, a chronic condition that he has lived with since he was a teenager.

Shinzo Abe has a reputation as a staunch conservative and nationalist, and for stimulating growth with his aggressive economic policy known as “Abenomics”.

The prime minister has strengthened Japan’s defenses and boosted military spending, but has been unable to revise the constitution’s pacifist Article 9, which bans a standing army for anything other than self-defense.

Shinzo Abe said his health started to decline as his ulcerative colitis made a resurgence around the middle of July.

He was now receiving a new treatment for the condition which had to be administered on a regular basis and would not give him enough time to carry out his prime ministerial functions, he added.

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PM Shinzo Abe dissolves Japan’s lower house of parliament for early election

Shinzo Abe said he could not make any mistakes in terms of important decision making, and therefore had decided to step down.

He said: “I made a judgement I should not continue my job as a prime minister.

“I would like to sincerely apologize to the people of Japan for leaving my post with one year left in my term of office, and amid the coronavirus woes, while various policies are still in the process of being implemented.”

Shinzo Abe also expressed regret at not fulfilling his core pledges – forcing North Korea to return Japanese citizens abducted decades ago; sorting out a territorial dispute with Russia; and overhauling the constitution to give more power to the military.

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