Daily Times

Yoshihide Suga was elected as the prime minister of Japan on Wednesday to become the country’s first new leader in nearly eight years

Suga, a farmer’s son as leader of the world’s third-largest economy served as chief cabinet secretary to outgoing premier Shinzo Abe after the ruling party elected him on Monday.

Suga gained a total of 377 out of 534 valid votes cast by Liberal Democratic Party (LPD) lawmakers and regional representatives leading his two rivals former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba and LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida.

The 71-year-old Suga – the son of a strawberry farmer – won the leadership contest of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Monday and was all but assured the top job when his appointment went to a vote in parliament given the party’s two-thirds majority.

After years of economic stagnation and already struggling with the long-term effects of the world’s most elderly population – Japan has been dealt a severe blow by COVID-19.

The world’s third-largest economy shrank a record 27.8 percent from April to June this year compared with the previous quarter due to pandemic-related lockdowns that were only relaxed in late May.

He will also take over a sweeping review of Japan’s national security policy that was initiated by Abe after plans to introduce a U.S.-developed missile defense system were scrapped due to technical issues.