During his time in theDiet, Suga became a close ally of Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe. When Abe first became prime minister in 2006, he appointed Suga to theCabinet asMinister for Internal Affairs and Communications. Suga left the Cabinet a year later, but after the LDP won the2012 election, Suga was appointed Chief Cabinet Secretary, a role he would hold throughout Abe's second term as prime minister. This made him the longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japanese history. In September 2020, after Abe announced that he would resign due to health concerns, Suga was elected to succeed him in theLDP presidential election and was subsequently elected prime minister by the Diet and appointed byEmperorNaruhito.
Suga's premiership focused primarily on responding to theCOVID-19 pandemic, including overseeing the rollout ofvaccines in the country. Suga's time in office also saw the holding of the delayed2020 Summer Olympics andParalympics in Tokyo and the announcement of a plan for Japan to reachcarbon neutrality by 2050. While Suga began his time in office relatively popular, his approval ratings fell due to public dissatisfaction with the government's handling of the pandemic and the Olympic Games. Facing hesitancy from his party amid preparation for the upcoming2021 general election, Suga announced on 3 September 2021 that he would not seek reelection in the2021 LDP presidential election, effectively resigning as party president and prime minister. His tenure officially ended on 4 October 2021 after he was succeeded byFumio Kishida.
Yoshihide Suga was born on 6 December 1948, to a family of strawberry farmers inOgachi (nowYuzawa), a rural area inAkita Prefecture, and moved to Tokyo after graduation fromYuzawa High School. He attended night school to earn aBachelor of Laws fromHosei University in 1973.[1][2][3] Suga chose Hosei "because it was the cheapest option available" and he "worked in a cardboard factory in Tokyo to pay his tuition".[4]
After graduating from university, Suga worked on aHouse of Councillors (upper house) election campaign, and thereafter worked as secretary to LDP Diet MemberHikosaburo Okonogi, father of LDP politicianHachiro Okonogi, for eleven years. Suga resigned from this position in October 1986 to pursue his own career in politics.[5] He was elected to theYokohama City Council in April 1987, campaigning door-to-door on foot, visiting as many as 30,000 houses and wearing through six pairs of shoes.[6][7][8] He pioneered the practice of giving campaign speeches in front of busy train stations, which is now common among Japanese political candidates.[9] Despite being a young councilor, Suga presided over the highest levels of government, which earned him the nickname "the shadow mayor".[10]
Suga was appointed Senior Vice Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications in November 2005 under Prime MinisterJunichiro Koizumi. He was promoted to Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and Minister for Privatization of the Postal Services in the firstShinzo Abe cabinet in September 2006, and added the portfolio of Minister of State for Decentralization Reform in December 2006.[7] He was instrumental in the development of Japan's "hometown donation" (ふるさと納税,furusato nōzei) system, which allowed taxpayers to obtain deductions by donating money to local governments.[2] He was replaced byHiroya Masuda in a cabinet reshuffle in August 2007.[12]
His "street-corner" campaigning style was credited with holding his seat in the2009 general election, when many other LDP lawmakers lost their seats amid a surge in support for theDemocratic Party of Japan.[11]
In October 2011, he was appointed Chairman of the LDP Party of Organization and Movement Headquarters. In September 2012, he was appointed Executive Acting Secretary-General of the LDP.[7]
As a Diet member, Suga built a power base among legislators not affiliated with the party's factions, particularly a group of young first-generation lawmakers known as the "Ganesha group".[13]
Suga (right) shaking hands with U.S. Trade RepresentativeMichael Froman in 2013Suga (third from right) at the announcement of the Okinawa Consolidation Plan in 2013
Suga remained close toShinzo Abe during the late 2000s and early 2010s, and urged Abe to run for the LDP presidency in 2012.[2] Unlike many of Abe's other allies, Suga pushed Abe to focus on the economy rather than Abe's long-standing ambition to reviseArticle 9 of the Constitution, which prohibits Japan from using a military as means of settling international disputes.[11]
Following Abe's victory in the2012 general election, Suga was appointed Chief Cabinet Secretary in the second Abe cabinet in December 2012. In September 2014, he was given the additional portfolio of Minister in charge of Alleviating the Burden of the Bases in Okinawa.[7] Suga andTarō Asō were the only members of the December 2012 cabinet who remained in the cabinet as of November 2019.[14] Suga is by far the longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japanese history, serving his post for a total of 2,820 days; the second longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary,Yasuo Fukuda, served for a total of 1,289 days, less than half as long as Suga.[15]
As Chief Cabinet Secretary, Suga served as an aide and advisor to Abe, and took an active managerial role in the government. He had a key role in the government's initiatives to attract tourists and foreign workers and reduce mobile telephone rates.[4] He formed a team to reexamine the lead-up to the Kono Statement of 1993 but the group was soon after disbanded without ever reaching a consensus.[16] He was affiliated withultranationalist andfar-right organisation,Nippon Kaigi.[17] Under Abe, Suga overcame party resistance to implement a visa program that opened the doors for unskilled foreign workers, a shift from the previous policy, which centered on internship programs that often confined foreign workers to low-paying jobs.[18] He was also supportive of the aggressive measures by theBank of Japan to counter deflation.[19] In 2015, he was criticized for publicly encouraging Japanese women to "contribute to their country by feeling like they want to have more children".[20] He continued to hold his seat in the2014 general election and2017 general election.[21][22]
Suga gained domestic and international fame when he announcedthe name of the new imperial era,Reiwa, on 1 April 2019, earning him the nickname "Uncle Reiwa" (Reiwa Ojisan).[23][24] While he had previously been a low-profile member of the government, this honor gave him an instant surge in name recognition and led more LDP lawmakers to view him as a viable candidate for party leadership.[2][14] He was sent to Washington in May 2019 for a meeting with U.S. Vice PresidentMike Pence and other senior officials, fueling speculation that he was being groomed to serve as Abe's successor.[3][4] Suga faced scrutiny later that year due to the resignations of Cabinet ministersKatsuyuki Kawai andIsshu Sugawara, both of whom had been close associates of Suga and were accused of campaign financing violations.[14] Suga also remained politically active during this time, coordinating support for the LDP candidate in the2019 Hokkaido gubernatorial election, a role typically reserved for top LDP officials.[4]Suga served as a key Abe deputy during the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He criticized the structure of the Japanese bureaucracy, with deep divisions between ministries, as stalling coordination to stop the spread of the virus.[25]
Following Shinzo Abe's resignation announcement in August 2020 due to hisulcerative colitis, Suga emerged as the leading contender to replace Abe on theleadership election, having gained the support of Deputy Prime MinisterTarō Asō and LDP Secretary-GeneralToshihiro Nikai, as well as the two largest factions in the LDP and supposedly even Abe himself.[26] Suga's main competitors in the LDP leadership race were longtime Abe rivalShigeru Ishiba and LDP policy chiefFumio Kishida.[27][28]
Suga was elected to the presidency of theLiberal Democratic Party on 14 September 2020, with 377 votes out of a total of 534.[29][30]
Upon his election, Suga outlined a policy agenda that included tackling the ongoing pandemic and implementing furtherderegulation to revitalize the economy. He reiterated his past interest in consolidating regional banks and lowering mobile phone charges in Japan.[31][32] Suga vowed to continue the economic policies of his predecessor, known asAbenomics, and to continue the path of Shinzo Abe in terms of foreign policy, making his "top priority" the issue ofJapanese citizens abducted by North Korea, as well as continuing to seek constitutional revision, including a new clause toArticle 9 of the Japanese Constitution legitimizing the existence ofJapan Self-Defense Forces.[33][34][35] He and his cabinet were sworn in on 16 September 2020.[36]
At the first press conference as the prime minister, Suga officially stated that his premiership will focus first on responding to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the second on protecting employment and ensuring businesses in savior economic conditions, the third on continuing theAbenomics for economic revival, and the fourth ondigital transformation and the review ofsupply chains.[37]
Suga with G7 leaders in June 2021 Suga with Quad leaders in September 2021
In October 2020, Suga made his first trips abroad to Vietnam and Indonesia,[38] with analysts saying that he chose those two countries amid the growing tensions between one of its closest allies, the United States, and China.[39] Suga also vowed to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries and signed an agreement allowing his government to export defense equipment and technology to Vietnam.[40][41]
Suga has also committed to stronger ties with US PresidentJoe Biden to discuss theUS-Japan security alliance, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.[42] In particular, Suga considered attending a global climate summit proposed by Biden in a push to bring nations in line with Japan's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Suga has made previous environmental commitments, such as a ¥2 trillion fund to promote research intodecarbonization technologies and the setting of specific goals at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties in the UK in November 2021.[43][44] They have also agreed to work towards completedenuclearization of North Korea.[45] Suga flew to the United States to meet with PresidentJoe Biden in April 2021. Suga was the first foreign leader to visit Biden at theWhite House.[46]
Suga has also vowed to fight Chinese influence in the Pacific region. In July 2021, he held a remote meeting with Pacific nations leaders and pledged 3 million COVID-19 vaccines in an effort to counter Chinese influence. The move was supported by the United States. Suga also pledged help to Tuvalu and other Pacific nations in the fight againstclimate change.[47]
In his 2021 New Year's address, Suga pledged to bring COVID-19 under control and to push forward with preparations for the2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which had been postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[48]
Suga implemented the GoTo stimulus program, which provides steep discounts for domestic travel in response to the economic consequences of the pandemic.[49][50] By stimulating demand for tourism, it was aimed at boosting regional economies and helping hotels and airlines.[51] However, it was suspended in December 2020 after criticism that it helped spread the virus and conflicted with the government's message for avoiding unnecessary travel.[49][52] This was after Suga denied considering a halt to the campaign to focus on improving the economy.[51]
Suga has received criticism for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.[51] His attendance at an expensive steak dinner for eight, which included several celebrities and politicians and had happened after his decision to suspend "GoTo Travel", was deprecated by the public; all attendees were over 70, a high-risk age group for the virus. At the time, the government was advising people to avoid dining in groups of more than five.[51][53][54] Suga has subsequently apologized.[55]
In January 2021, Suga declared astate of emergency in theGreater Tokyo Area and the three surrounding prefectures, which was Japan's first such declaration since April 2020.[56] The emergency included restrictions on daily life, withremote work encouraged and residents being urged to avoid non-essential outings; however, schools remained open.[56] While the state of emergency carries no legal power, Suga has stated the government will consider amending the law to allow local authorities to penalize businesses that do not comply with official requests.[56] Suga also pledged to provide up to ¥1.8 million per month to each restaurant that complies with a request to shorten its operating hours.[56][57]
Suga's cabinet has seen fluctuating approval since Abe's resignation.[58] The cabinet's approval rating dropped from 74 percent in September 2020 to 42 percent in January 2021.Shigeru Omi, the COVID-19 task force chief, said that this was due to Suga's GoTo promotions. It has also been attributed to his rejection of scholars on a science advisory panel.[51] The drop in approval for Suga's cabinet proved the largest since October 2010, following theSenkaku boat collision incident.[59] Approval bounced from 38 percent in February to 42 percent in March 2021.[60] The cabinet's approval hit a record low in May 2021, hitting 33 percent after having again dropped to 40 percent the previous month.[61][62] Amidst rising coronavirus cases in the community in theGreater Tokyo area, Suga's approval rating dwindled to a record lows of 31% in July and 28% in August while hosting theTokyo 2020 Olympic Games during a pandemic.[63] In an election widely seen as a referendum on the ruling LDP's Coronavirus response, the candidate that Suga endorsed lost the Yokohama mayoral race in August by a considerable margin putting considerable pressure on Suga's reelection chances in the upcoming national election, as an MP representing Kanagawa.[64]
On 3 September 2021, Suga announced that he would not seek re-election as the head of its governing party.[65] This announcement followed his approval ratings being at an all-time low (below 30% in recent polls) as the nation struggled with its worst wave of COVID-19 infections ahead of thegeneral election that year.[66] His resignation would become effective on 30 September 2021, a day after theLiberal Democratic leadership election.[58] Suga's announcement came at a press conference where a LDP leadership reshuffle was to be announced; although Suga had reportedly been fully intent on running as of the day before, both Shinzo Abe and Taro Aso refused to cooperate further with Suga's leadership in conversations on the evening of the 2nd, leading to Suga's surprise announcement the next morning.[67][68]
On 29 September 2021, the LDP elected former foreign ministerFumio Kishida as new leader of the party and virtually making the prime minister-designate of Japan.[69][70][71] Kishida replaced Suga on 4 October 2021.[72]
Suga is married and has three sons.[73] His wife,Mariko, is the sister of one of his former co-workers in the office ofHikosaburo Okonogi.[74] His eldest son, Seigoh, is the former director ofTohokushinsha Film (discharged on Feb. 2021).
Suga has a daily fitness routine that includes doing 100 situps and 40 minutes of walking each morning, and 100 situps each night. He started this routine after a doctor advised him to lose weight, and he lost 14 kg (31 lb) in four months.[9] He is also known as a voracious reader, and is known for reading all major newspapers daily despite his busy schedule.[75][76]
Suga practiced karate when he was a college student. He holds the thirddan black belt.[77]
Suga is known to have a sweet tooth. His favorite food is pancakes.[78] His lunch is almost alwayssoba. He neither smokes nor drinks.[78]
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