BY Satoshi Sugiyama

Yoshihide Suga became the country’s 99th prime minister on Wednesday, putting an end to the administration led by his predecessor Shinzo Abe — the longest in modern Japanese history — and marking the beginning of a new era shaped by a host of daunting political, economic and societal challenges.

Bathed in camera flashes and surrounded by fellow lawmakers giving him a thundering ovation, Suga — appearing as if he were stifling a smile — stood up from his seat and bowed five times after he secured enough votes in a ballot to nominate the prime minister in the Lower House. After he earned the same result in the Upper House, the new prime minister moved on immediately to form his first Cabinet.

On Wednesday night, in his first news conference as the prime minister, Suga characterized his Cabinet as one that will “work for the people,” and said ending the coronavirus pandemic while rejuvenating the economy were the highest priorities for his administration.

He praised Abenomics, which he vowed to continue, and said he would promote digitalization and My Number ID cards through the creation of a specialized digital agency. He also referred his record on dealing with burdensome bureaucratic regulations on tax, visa and dam issues.

“I’ve always thought that there are many things still left in society that are detached from the sense of ordinary people,” Suga said concerning the further pushing of regulatory reform. “I won’t overlook them and I will determine what is right before taking bold action.”

The lineup that has emerged ahead of an official announcement later Wednesday underscores how Suga has embraced the label of being Abe’s heir for the sake of continuity, something he believes will be a key element in navigating the country through the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic downturn.

Overall, he has either opted to keep Abe’s appointees or turned to lawmakers with Cabinet experience in the most critical posts, aiming to reassure the ruling Liberal Democratic Party by prioritizing stability, the factional balance of power and smooth cooperation over novelty, diversity and freshness.

Of the 20 reported Cabinet members, only five of them are rookie ministers, including Abe’s younger brother Nobuo Kishi, the new defense minister. For key Cabinet posts, he chose to keep Taro Aso as finance minister, Toshimitsu Motegi as foreign minister and Yasutoshi Nishimura as minister in charge of economic revitalization and the government’s coronavirus response.

Yet in policy areas that Suga is particularly passionate about, such as digitalization and regulatory reforms, the new prime minister has carried out a shake-up with a view toward achieving his ambitions while still installing individuals with prior Cabinet experience. Outgoing Defense Minister Taro Kono was named minister in charge of administrative reforms.

On diplomacy, which is said to be one of his weak points, he has acknowledged that he would not be able to match Abe’s style, which saw him frequently make trips abroad to deepen personal relationships. But Suga has fought back against criticism that he lacks diplomatic experience by asserting he was involved in important decision-making on foreign affairs under the Abe administration and would carve out his own diplomatic style, but he has yet to elaborate at length on what that entails.

Suga said his administration will keep the Japan-United States alliance as the primary pillar of the nation’s foreign policy while seeking to also “build stable relations with neighboring countries including China and Russia” as he expands on his predecessor’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy.”

(edited by Xiaotong Wei)

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