New Delhi: The Japanese government is expected to convene parliament on October 4 to choose a successor to Prime Minister Suga. Local media, citing sources, said the Japanese government is considering convening a parliamentary session on October 4 to elect a successor to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. The winner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership election to be held on 29 September is set to be voted on as the LDP and its coalition partner Komito controls the powerful House of Representatives.
Japan’s cabinet minister for immunization Affairs, Taro Kono, is the people’s first choice for the country’s next prime minister. This has been revealed in the results of the opinion poll released on Monday. He is a possible candidate to succeed the outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga who is going to step down (Japan Latest Update). Kono, 58, graduated from Georgetown University and speaks fluent English, a phenomenon rarely seen in Japanese politics dominated by elderly politicians.
Suga, who played a key role less than a year ago, announced last week that he would not seek re-election for the leadership of the LDP amid mounting criticism over COVID-19. After a normally extraordinary parliamentary session, Japan’s new prime minister delivers a policy speech the same week with the interrogation of opposition leaders. If the parliamentary session is held on 4 October, then the general elections can be held till 7 November. Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Vaccination Minister Taro Kono are trying to garner support for the LDP leadership race, while former communications minister Sane Takachi is also being reported as contenders. However, no announcement has been made regarding this yet.
(With agency input)
