China News Service, September 4 (Dong Hanyang) reported that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held a press conference on the 3rd and announced that he would not participate in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election.

This also means that the cabinet of Yoshihide Suga will come to an end in just one year.

Data map: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Tough Prime Minister's road, Yoshihide Suga has only been in power for one year and plans to resign

  Before the press conference on the 3rd, Yoshihide Suga had always stated that he would participate in the election of the president of the Liberal Democratic Party.

This sudden "abstention" shocked all walks of life.

  Yoshihide Suga assumed the post of Prime Minister of Japan on September 16, 2020.

Prior to this, he had supported the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for about seven and a half years as Chief Cabinet Secretary until Abe announced his resignation due to a worsening illness. He was appointed to succeed him and became the 99th Prime Minister of Japan.

  In the past year, Yoshihide Suga's path to prime minister has not been smooth.

The new crown epidemic in Japan is difficult to control, and the vaccination is slow. Although the Tokyo Olympics was successfully held amidst difficulties, it failed to effectively boost its support rate.

Data map: A passerby passes by an empty outdoor restaurant in Tokyo, Japan.

  Recently, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election is approaching, but Yoshihide Suga made frequent mistakes on important occasions, and the poll support rate has dropped to a new low, which aroused concerns among people around him.

  In early August, Yoshihide Suga mispronounced and missed the speech while attending nuclear explosion day ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which caused public dissatisfaction. At the press conference on August 17, he also voted for the House of Representatives election. Time said that "putting the spread of the epidemic first", and then amended it on the official residence homepage.

  At the same time, the Japan Mainichi Shimbun and Social Research Center released the latest poll on August 28. The approval rate of Yoshihide Suga's cabinet fell to 26%, a record low since taking office, and for the first time below the 30% "danger line." .

  The analysis believes that there have been constant criticisms about the government’s inadequate measures in response to the new crown epidemic, and the government’s cohesion will decline before the next House of Representatives election. Yoshihide Suga’s move may intend to take responsibility for this, and this will be for the Liberal Democratic Party in the upcoming House of Representatives election. The performance also has a positive effect.

In addition, as far as individuals are concerned, instead of taking the risk of re-election failure, it is better to "take the initiative to step down."

  According to Japanese media, Yoshihide Suga may resign as prime minister after his term as president expires at the end of this month.

Kyodo News quoted relevant sources on the 3rd to reveal that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga basically decided to resign.

The picture shows Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (first from left) attending a cabinet meeting.

Who will compete for the next prime minister?

  Yoshihide Suga's "sudden abstention" also means that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will step up to elect a new president and lead him in the House of Representatives election.

The Liberal Democratic Party is scheduled to formally announce the presidential election on the 17th of this month, and vote for a new president on the 29th.

  Previously, former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and former Minister of General Affairs Sanae Takaichi had expressed their intention to run for election.

  The 64-year-old Kishida Fumio had previously announced his candidacy and was sure to qualify for the election.

He once lost to Suga Yoshihide in the 2020 election. This time he "comes back" and shouted reform slogans, saying that he will do his best to deal with the epidemic, improve income inequality, and support disadvantaged groups.

  The 60-year-old Takaichi Sanae deliberately challenged to become Japan's first female prime minister.

But at present, it is not clear whether she can get enough support from the MPs needed to participate in the election.

  In addition, the former secretary general Ishibashige, who has repeatedly participated in the election of the president of the Liberal Democratic Party, has previously stated that he will not stand for election, but whether Yoshihide Suga's re-election will change his intentions remains to be seen.

  Sources said on September 3 that Taro Kono, the minister in charge of Japan's administrative reform and in charge of the vaccination plan, will also participate in the election of the president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.

  No matter who is elected as the new president, he will soon face the severe challenge of the House of Representatives election.

It is foreseeable that in the next more than a month, the Japanese political arena will once again fall into chaos.