▲ Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (left) - Minister of Administrative Reform Taro Kono (right)


While Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has effectively resigned, it has been found that the person most preferred by Japanese voters as the next prime minister is Minister of Administrative Reform Taro Kono.



In a telephone poll conducted by Kyodo News for two days from yesterday (4th) to today, 31.9% of respondents answered that Kono was the right person for the next prime minister.



During his tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2019, Minister Kono in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Republic of Korea several times was a controversial topic.



At the time, Minister Kono said at a press conference regarding forced labor, "If Korea wants to change history, it needs to know that it is impossible." "The most important issue between Korea and Japan is about the 65-year agreement." .



It was a statement to the effect that the issue of compensation for forced labor was resolved through the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Agreement.



In second place was Shigeru Ishiba, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, who received 26.6%, followed by Fumio Kishida, former chairman of the political affairs inquiry committee of the Liberal Democratic Party, with 18.8%.



It was followed by former Secretary General Seiko Noda at 4.4%, former Secretary General Sanae Takaichi at 4.0%, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at 1.2%, and LDP Chairman Shimomura Hakubun at 0.6%.



In addition, 56.7% of respondents answered "It is natural to resign" to Prime Minister Suga's resignation, while only 35.3% opposed it.



Regarding the response to COVID-19 that Suga showed for about a year after taking office, 56.3% gave a negative evaluation and only 40.4% gave a positive evaluation.



Prime Minister Suga's term as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party ends on the 30th, and Prime Minister Suga has announced that he will not run for president.



In Japan, which has a parliamentary system, being the leader of the majority party is a de facto prerequisite for becoming a prime minister.



Suga, who took office as Japan's 99th Prime Minister on September 16 last year, is certain to step down from his post as the governor's term expires.



(Photo = Getty Images Korea)