Here’s what you need to know about Japan’s incoming prime minister
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A pedestrian reads an extra edition newspaper reporting Fumio Kishida, former foreign minister, being elected as the new leader at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election, in Ginza district of Tokyo on September 29, 2021.
AFP via Getty Images, after winning Wednesday’s leadership race in Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party.| AFP via Getty Images
Fumio Kishida is set to become Japan’s next prime minister after winning the leadership race at Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday.
After none of the candidates were able to gain a majority in round one, the former foreign minister defeated Taro Kono his close rival.
Kishida’s win means that he will replace Yoshihide, the outgoing prime minister and party leader. He took over as top position just one year earlier. Kishida, who is controlled by the LDP (and its coalition partner) in the House of Representatives, will undoubtedly become Japan’s next prime Minister.
Suga’s approval rating was already plummeting before he announced his resignation. There had been widespread criticism about his handling of the pandemic. His decision to host the Tokyo Olympics despite Tokyo’s current state of emergency was criticized by critics.
Kishida was one of Suga’s key challengers in the LDP leadership race in 2020, when former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unexpectedly resigned due to ill health.
Win for LDP technocrats
Kishida’s election as leader of the LDP “marks a win” for the party’s technocrats establishment, said Jesper Koll, a director at Monex Group.
Koll wrote in a Wednesday note, “Kishida represents stability. He doesn’t rock the boat and, most importantly, he does what elite technocrats ask him to.” Kishida plans to pursue a track of steady, but incremental changes in economic and financial policy.
Koll noted that Kishida’s campaign promises included an agreement not to increase the consumption tax for 10 year and a review on the pension and healthcare system. This was surprising considering Koll is “generally bland, unexciting, on the public platform.”
Naohikobaba from Goldman Sachs said that Kishida was expected to be more focused on income redistribution and addressing income inequality.
Good track record
One of Kishida’s first tasks is to lead the LDP in Japan’s lower house elections. This is expected to happen in the coming months.
According to Tobias Harris (senior fellow for Asia at The Center for American Progress), the new prime minister will receive “plenty” of media attention that will help him gain momentum ahead of the polls.
Harris said that while Kishida is not “the most interesting personality” when it comes to LDP leadership but he’s still “pleasant enough.” “He’s got a pretty good … reputation, a good record from when he was foreign minister.”
Kashida was not part of the Suga administration, which makes it easier to criticize him for handling the pandemic.
Tackling Covid
Japan has faced multiple waves of Covid infections since 2020, and its vaccination drive ramped up significantly in the last few months following a slow start.
As of Sept. 28, 59% of people in Japan were fully vaccinated against Covid-19 — higher than the United States’ 55.09%, according to Our World in Data.
Harris noted that Covid infection rates have been declining in Japan. The government announced this week that it will end the coronavirus state of emergency in all regions on Thursday.
As a result, “You might not have the public as eager to turn out to vote against the LDP, and that was really the concern with Suga,” Harris said.
According to Harris, most prime ministers see a nice bump in polls after they have been elected.
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