Fumio Kishida to Replace Yoshihide Suga as Japan PM

After winning the ruling party leadership election, Fumio Kishida becomes prime minister of Japan, replacing Yoshihide Suga at the parliamentary session on Monday. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan designated former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida its new leader on Wednesday. Yoshihide Suga announced that he wouldn’t hold re-election for the leader of the LDP on 3rd September as he has been facing criticism for his failed management of the coronavirus pandemic. He suddenly resigned due to his health conditions, completing his almost eight-year leadership, making it the longest in Japan’s constitutional history.

Will Fumio Kishida Be a New Japanese Prime Minister?

Fumio Kishida is Japan’s third Prime Minister in over a year. Four candidates took part in the ruling party leadership election- Taro Kono, Kishida Fumio, Sanae Takaichi, and Seiko Noda. They entered the presidential election of Japan’s main ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). During the Japanese General Election 2021, the country’s governing party voted to choose its new leader on Wednesday. The new PM has to change the party’s high-handed reputation, the worst state of outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s management on the coronavirus pandemic, and perseverance in holding the Olympics in Tokyo this past summer. The vote comprises only LDP parliamentarians and grassroots members. Fumio Kishida achieved 257 votes, and Kono got 170 votes.

After winning, Kishida stated that the government would continue to attain economic development and wealth distribution. According to CNN, he further said that he would “start running at full speed” to work towards a better future for Japan. Kishida stated that we should not stop our efforts with the determination to take safety measures against the Coronavirus. Additionally, we have to increase the economies of scale by the end of the year. He also promised to spend billions of dollars to building Japan’s economy from the impacts of the COVID-19 situation. Kishida was a foreign minister of Japan from 2012 to 2017 in the government headed by Shinzo Abe. 

Abe resigned from his Prime Minister post in August 2020 due to poor health. Hence, Suga took over the position and served as a prime minister of Japan from September last year. He received 377 votes out of 534 in the leadership contest.

Who is Fumio Kishida?

He is a well-known Japanese politician, serving as the President of the Liberal Democratic Party. He was born on 29th July 1957 to a political family called Shibuya. This is his second time running for the position of Prime Minister, lost last time against Suga. Kishida also was the Chairman of the Policy Research Council of the LDP. Currently, he won the LDP leadership election in 2021. It is expected that he will become Prime Minister in early October 2021.