Kishida’s priorities
Mr Kishida has adopted a markedly more sceptical view towards China than in the past as he tries to hedge the risks of the very strong dependence that Japan has on the Chinese market.
Mr Kishida has adopted a markedly more sceptical view towards China than in the past as he tries to hedge the risks of the very strong dependence that Japan has on the Chinese market.
The new leader also needs to change the party’s high-handed reputation, worsened by the outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga who angered the public over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and insistence on holding the Olympics.
Saying that it would be impossible to run in the LDP's election while doing his work, Suga told reporters that he wanted to focus on the Covid-19 measures during his remaining time, adding that he would explain his decision probably next week at a press conference, reports Xinhua news agency.
Suga said he had originally planned to run in the Sept. 29 race but that leading Japan’s pandemic response and campaigning for the LDP job at the same time divided his energies.
58.5 per cent said they were dissatisfied with the vaccine rollout, according to the Kyodo News poll
The motion was filed after the ruling coalition turned down the opposition camp's request that the conclusion of the current parliamentary session should be pushed back by three months to allow time for more debate on matters related to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Tokyo Olympics
The general public will be the last in line to receive their jabs.
The Tokyo metropolitan government, meanwhile, reported 556 new infections on Tuesday, with the number of new daily cases marking the fifth straight day that infections have dipped below the 1,000-mark.
Yoshihide Suga was elected as the prime minister by Japan’s Parliament on Wednesday.
The political transition comes after Abe Shinzo's surprise announcement last month, that he would step down to deal with health issues. Suga won a commanding victory in Monday's vote for the leader of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) , reports NHK.
