Japan: Yoshihide Suga wins party leadership race, headed for premiership

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, a loyal aide to outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, won a landslide victory in a ruling party leadership election on Monday, paving the way for him to replace Abe this week.

Sugaeasily won the vote, taking 377 of the 534 valid votes cast by Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and regional representatives, significantly ahead of his two rivals.

Also see:Possible successors stack up as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigns

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Given his party's legislative majority, he is expected to handily win a parliamentary vote Wednesday and become prime minister, succeeding Abe, who is resigning for health reasons.

Suga thanked Abe and vowed to push ahead with reforms. Abe, Japan's longest-serving premier, said last month that he would resign because of ill health, ending nearly eight years in office.

"I was born as the oldest son of a farmer in Akita," Suga said. "Without any knowledge or blood ties, I launched into the world of politics, starting from zero - and have been able to become leader of the LDP, with all its traditions and history."

"I will devote all of myself to work for Japan and its citizens," he added.

Suga has said he would continue Abe's signature "Abenomics" strategy of hyper-easy monetary policy, government spending and reforms while juggling the problems of COVID-19 and a slumping economy, and confronting longer-term issues such as Japan's ageing population and low birth rate.

Even before he formally announced his run, the 71-year-oldSuga had won the support of key factions within the ruling party, with his candidacy viewed as promising stability.

The LDP chose to poll only its lawmakers in parliament and three representatives from each of the country's 47 regions, eschewing a broader ballot including rank-and-file members that officials said would have taken too long to organise.