Japanese Prime Minister Stepped Down

Madison Ramey

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, age 72, stepped down after his approval ratings declined because he wasn’t taking enough precautions in situations involving COVID-19. He said that he wouldn’t be able to participate in the ruling party’s race along with the November election since it is due to multiple reports of covid and complaints from local people. Suga had taken the job because the previous prime minister had left his position due to health issues. Suga has tried his very best to come upfront with all of the issues he has had to deal with. His ratings had dropped thirty percent by the end of August, and according to experts, he stepped down as Prime Minister due to his lack of confidence in his work. For those that worked below Suga, most have decided not to align themselves with him anymore because of their own political campaigns. Suga has also said that managing COVID-19 and political campaigns are very exhausting since he has his own personal life to deal with. 

“Honestly, I’m surprised. It’s truly regrettable. He did his best but after careful consideration, he made this decision,” the party secretary-general, Toshihiro Nikai said. 

Japan is still under an emergency lockdown because of the Coronavirus, as it’s currently experiencing its worst wave. The country has more than 1.5 million COVID cases, and the vaccination process is going very slowly. Due to Suga’s departure, the Japanese shares rose quickly on social media and it’s more than the usual shares over the past three decades. Tokyo’s markets have gained a lot of money and they are also hoping that the government will somehow get stronger. The election is supposed to be on September 29th and when they get the person from the election they will most likely be Japan’s next leader due to the majority vote. 

Information from:

https://thehill.com/policy/international/asia-pacific/570705-japanese-prime-minister-yoshihide-suga-to-step-down

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58405212