politics

Suga touts achievements, rues short tenure in final press conference

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K bye

2 ( +11 / -9 )

“Touts & Rues”?? - Perhaps then, PM Suga’s first post-SOE steak dinner & karaoke outing with the like-minded will feature some kind of rendition of “My Way”?

- “Regrets, I've had a few

But then again, too few to mention

I did what I had to do

And saw it through, without exemption

I planned each charted course

Each careful step along the byway

And more, much more than this

I did it my way” -

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Japan has fully vaccinated 58 percent of its population, overtaking the United States despite a relatively slow start, and the government expects to finish administering shots to everyone eligible and willing by November.

Amid all the naysayers foretelling otherwise, this goal certainly appears likely to be realized.

As of today, 78% of eligible recipients (aged 12+) have received one shot, 65% of eligible recipients have been fully vaccinated.

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

So the only job of a prime minister is the vaccine implementation? What about the lack of any policies? No progress as a country in any area? Forcing the olympics on Japan? Losing control of the number of covid infections? Bye and don’t forget your coat suga..

22 ( +26 / -4 )

It's odd how there was a big increase in cases when we brought in thousands of people for the olympics, and started to decline when they went away. Nah, must be a coincidence, it was clearly this old guys expert leadership.

Let's elect another fossil and keep moving nowhere.

/sarcasm

6 ( +15 / -9 )

Bye Felicia...

10 ( +13 / -3 )

Not just the successful reduction of Covid-19, but also the success of the Tokyo Olympics, congratulations Naikaku Souri Daijin . . . .

-20 ( +3 / -23 )

I'm honestly shocked that Japan put up with him this long.

11 ( +17 / -6 )

Covid numbers had absolutely nothing to do with the Olympics.

-20 ( +4 / -24 )

As of today, 78% of eligible recipients (aged 12+) have received one shot, 65% of eligible 

We are gonna have soon the promised and expected herd immunity. No need for vaccination anymore.

Oops, Singapore and Israel did not get it.

-8 ( +7 / -15 )

How in the world could he say that with a straight face!

7 ( +13 / -6 )

How in the world could he say that with a straight face!

only one he has.

never seen him change expressions

11 ( +16 / -5 )

He epitomized much about life in Japan (and I know his type well):

Never rock the boat.

Look busy without actually doing much.

Act humble in public (in private who knows?).

Loyalty above almost everything.

Follow these four for 35+ years and you too could be “someone” here.

In the end, he was useful for Abe and that’s about it. Oh, and I’d never want to have a drink with the man.

PS Comments from Japanese over the past year (at Yahoo) have been mostly negative. His adherence to reading scripts bothered many as did his lack of any sense of humor. He won’t be missed.

14 ( +18 / -4 )

Thanks for lowering the tariffs on mobile phones.

Other than that....totally useless.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

YubaruToday  08:05 am JST

How in the world could he say that with a straight face!

I don’t think Suga-san has any other face then a straight face. I saw a poster of him not so long ago with a smile on his face and a commented that they must have photoshopped it on. I don’t think I have ever seen him smile or laugh publicly. I do hope he is able to do so privately but I am not so sure.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

didou  07:44 am JST

We are gonna have soon the promised and expected herd immunity. No need for vaccination anymore.

The "promised herd immunity?" The Japanese government has never promised herd immunity.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Hahahahaha I needed a laugh!

4 ( +8 / -4 )

The government of this country are soooo lucky that they have a compliant and obedient citizens otherwise I suspect it would have been worse. Kudos need to go to the Japanese people themselves…not to the government! Honestly I think without vaccinations we would have been at this exact point anyway.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

It's interesting how critical many of you are. What have you done in politics that have helped anyone?

-19 ( +4 / -23 )

but I was able to tackle longstanding issues and set a path for many reforms

I might be wrong, but I always thought Japan's longstanding issues were the declining birthrate, stagnant wages, lack of daycare facilities for working parents, weak labor laws, elderly care, and mental health. These issues have more or less been ignored for decades.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Please.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Pathetic PM..Good riddance.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

"While I received much criticism over that remark, their effectiveness is now clear and the light is only growing stronger."

I don't think I've ever witnessed a bigger, more self-entitled baby in office here. More arrogant, yes. Dumber, yes. But the "Why am I being criticized??" crybaby stuff is too much for a guy who ran away and not rues a short tenure. He was RIGHTLY criticized because he made the comment when Japan was very far from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and was touting success to avoid addressing failure, and that's all. He waited FAR too long to start buying and implementing vaccinations, hoping for a domestic vaccine to tout, and of course he prioritized the Games over people's lives.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

touted his government's success in rapidly vaccinating Japan's population against COVID-19 but voiced disappointment at the shortage of time to implement his policies at what is expected to be his final press conference in office

Does he mean the fact that a lot of private companies have taken the situation into their own hands and started vaccinating their own employees? Because either there were no vaccines, or there were and it was almost impossible to get vaccinated anywhere without having to phone dozens of different places?

And the lack of vaccines? Does he mean the fact that we have bought 60 million doses of vaccines and have gradually donated them to other countries, or are we yet to donate them as we have committed to?

And lack of time? They had more than a year and a half to prepare a plan and respond to the situation. Instead, it was just a misery of trying one course of action and seeing what happens. Instead of taking their cue from, for example, hard-hit countries like Italy or Spain, the Czech Republic, etc.

No, Japan fell asleep. We may be vaccinating at a faster pace now than when we started, but few people realise or even mention the fact that Japan is supposed to be a developed country, not a third world country.

Suga thanked the public for complying with restrictions on social and business activity, which had remained in place in at least some part of the country since early April.

"Without your cooperation, we would not have been able to realize a single thing. I want to thank everyone for your support," he said, bowing deeply in front of the cameras.

Exactly. Without our cooperation. Many businesses, private individuals and the like have taken the situation into their own hands rather than live in that "legal vacuum" where the state on the one hand has issued a "state of emergency" and on the other hand has argued that it can't enforce it because the Constitution does this or that.

but I was able to tackle longstanding issues and set a path for many reforms

In other words, I didn't do anything myself, I just left it to my successors.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Good to know Sugi.

If you didn’t show and tell us what you did in the past year, we would have never known.

Let the door hit you on the way out.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

We thought we would get an uncharismatic technocrat who would make government work.

We got an uncharismatic buffoon who was slow with the rollout, then farmed it out to private companies (otherwise I’d likely still be waiting), forced an Olympics that we couldn’t attend but still get to pay for for the next several decades, gave incomprehensible “guidance” and unenforceable SOEs, etc....

I would say that the next man couldn’t be any worse but that is clearly within the realm of possibility

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Mr.Suga san took office during a very difficult time of which most of us and future generations will probably never see again I am no politician but I am sure the man did his best especially at his age. Many people on the comments looking like fools disrespecting him without knowing the full story.はたしからどもありがとすがさん. How could you talk ill of the smiling face of the Reiwa era sign man ?

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

And also rainbows, ponies and pancakes in the smiling face of the Reiwa era placeholder!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Wake me up again when your quick ‘success’ is in the range or near of what they’ve reached in Denmark.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

He deserves credit for the quick, if not late, rollout of vaccines.

Yet, that “light” at the end of the tunnel he mentioned doesn’t seem to be getting any closer. Like an optical illusion almost.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

An abysmal human being.

Fast vaccine rollout? And-this was done by so many other countries before Japan even thought about doing so.

Socially inept.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Suga: Hey, What about me? I am special too!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Rapid vaccination ??

Yeah right !

Relatively slow start ??

What the heck.

Ah yes the great achievements of suga !

The only light at the end of the tunnel is his resignation.

Sorry suga but i wasn't impressed by your so called achievements.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

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