Japan's Suga "Will Not Run in LDP Leadership Election... Will Focus on COVID-19" (Summary)

"Presidential Election and COVID-19 Measures Incompatible"
Prime Minister Expected to Resign After Presidential Term Ends in Late September
Support Plummets Due to Inadequate COVID-19 Response, Leading to Resignation

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that he will not run in the upcoming Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election scheduled for the 29th. Given the Japanese political characteristic where the ruling party president serves as prime minister, this is interpreted as his intention to resign from the prime minister position after completing his presidential term at the end of this month. It is analyzed that the sharp decline in approval ratings amid criticism over inadequate COVID-19 response and the rushed Tokyo Olympics has strongly influenced the judgment that maintaining the administration would be difficult.

At an emergency press conference around 1 p.m. on the 3rd, Prime Minister Suga emphasized, "I will not run in the LDP presidential election," adding, "Now is the time to focus on responding to COVID-19, and the presidential election and COVID-19 measures are not compatible matters." Earlier, at the LDP’s extraordinary executive meeting held in the morning, Suga also stated that he must concentrate on COVID-19 response and would not run in the presidential election.

Accordingly, Prime Minister Suga will step down from the prime minister position after one year in office, coinciding with the expiration of his presidential term at the end of this month. Japan, which adopts a parliamentary cabinet system, has a structure where members of the Diet elect the administrative head, the prime minister (Chief Cabinet Secretary), and the president of the majority party (currently the LDP) serves as prime minister. The presidential election to choose the new LDP president is scheduled for the 29th, and although the general election date following the expiration of the House of Representatives term is flexible, October 17 is considered likely.

Prime Minister Suga’s current LDP presidential term expires on the 30th, and the current four-year term of the House of Representatives ends on October 21 this year. It is expected that Suga will resign from the prime minister position simultaneously with the expiration of his LDP presidential term at the end of September. The LDP has announced that the presidential election will proceed as scheduled on the 29th despite Suga’s declaration not to run.

Suga’s decision not to run in the presidential election was reportedly conveyed urgently on the day. According to NHK, the day before, Suga had expressed his intention to run in the presidential election to Toshihiro Nikai, the LDP secretary-general, showing a strong will to seek re-election as LDP president. However, as the approval rating of the Suga Cabinet plummeted to the 20% range recently, there is a sense of crisis that the LDP could suffer a crushing defeat in the general election scheduled for October, leading key LDP figures to discourage Suga’s re-election ambitions.

Earlier, on the 2nd, Ryusuke Toi, the LDP district secretary of Kanagawa Prefecture, Suga’s political stronghold, announced that he would not campaign for Suga’s re-election in the presidential election. On the 1st, Digital Minister Takuya Hirai expressed support for former party president Fumio Kishida, who is known as a major political rival of Prime Minister Suga.

Kyodo News reported, citing a prime minister’s office official, that the planned party executive personnel reshuffle scheduled for the 6th was blocked, leading Prime Minister Suga to judge that maintaining the administration was no longer feasible and declare his decision not to run in the presidential election.

Suga’s sudden announcement not to run is expected to intensify factional realignments within the LDP regarding the presidential election. For now, former party president Kishida, who declared his candidacy on the 26th of last month, is expected to consolidate forces and has a high possibility of becoming the next prime minister. Meanwhile, former secretary-general Shigeru Ishiba, a competitor, is reportedly still deliberating whether to run, indicating that the presidential election competition will become fierce.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.