Suga opts out of LDP leadership race

Sep 03, 2021 | News On Japan

Sep 03, 2021 (NHK) - Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says he will not run in the upcoming leadership election for the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. This means he is giving up the premiership, and Japan will soon have a new prime minister.

Suga made the announcement at an extraordinary meeting of LDP executives on Friday. Suga reportedly said he will not run in the election because he wants to focus on coronavirus measures. The LDP leadership election is scheduled for September 29.

Suga also reportedly indicated he will not carry out the reshuffle of the party's executive posts that he had hoped to implement on Monday.

Suga had expressed his intention to run when he met LDP Secretary-General Nikai Toshihiro on Thursday.

After the meeting of LDP executives on Friday, Suga told reporters that he had a change of heart. He said, "I thought I should choose to either campaign for the election or concentrate on the anti-coronavirus measures as I can't handle with both enormously energy-consuming tasks. So I decided to focus on the coronavirus to prevent a further spread of the virus."

One challenger for the party leadership is former foreign minister Kishida Fumio. Former internal affairs minister Takaichi Sanae is also interested in making a bid for the post, but she will need the signatures of 20 party lawmakers.

Many people in Japan were surprised by Suga's announcement. A man in his 60s says, "Japanese people are feeling uncertainty about the political situation, and they want politicians who are pro-active in dealing with the coronavirus."

A woman in her 80s says, "I think it's better for Suga not to run for the election as he is losing his popularity. I think his response to the pandemic has not been sufficient."

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.