Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a meeting of the coronavirus infection control headquarters at his office in Tokyo on Jan 22. Photo: Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool via AP
politics

Suga faces mounting pressure over pandemic response

29 Comments
By Daniel Leussink and Mari Saito

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29 Comments
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Well, now we will see how long he lasts!

16 ( +16 / -0 )

It’s time to step down buddy. Let the adults take it from here. Edano would be a better candidate.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Suga-san actually has better support ratings from younger voters. 

LOL, yeah, Suga is the King of the Kids! He just seems to connect with the youth!

Back to the real world...I give him 3 months.

Stick a fork in him, he's done. Next!

19 ( +19 / -0 )

The Suga administration is a joke. The Abe administration, with all it's faults, was better. Sorry but no confidence.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

I hope Botchan won't be back.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I think I saw that raft, heading towards a waterfall.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Gross incompetence. This is what happens when you pretend there isn’t a crisis.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Mr. Suga, if you want your popularity to rise again then do some cash handouts and revive the GOTOeat program :D

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Please save lives.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Yoshihito Niki, an infectious disease specialist and professor at Showa University Hospital, agreed the government should have halted the campaign earlier.

Didn't a panel of ‘experts’ NOT foresee the dangers of sending millions of Japanese here and there?

Cases skyrocketed .

Commonsense is severely lacking in Japan....

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Dropping the ball from Day 1

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Gross incompetence. This is what happens when you pretend there isn’t a crisis.

Totally agree both Suga and Abe should be held accountable. No excuse.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

with a new opinion poll showing many believed the government was too slow to respond to the latest wave of infections.

Was too slow to respond?? They haven't responded at all! What exactly have they done? Declared a state of emergency where absolutely NOTHING has changed at all??

It’s time to step down buddy. Let the adults take it from here. Edano would be a better candidate.

DAMN STRAIGHT!

Nihon University political science professor Tomoaki Iwai said Suga was "not a great communicator" but his leadership was not currently in doubt.

Until Nippon Kaigi decides otherwise

"There are no strong candidates to replace him. Chances are the current government will drag on despite very weak public support, which would be quite tragic," he said.

That's ALWAYS been the LDP in a nutshell.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

He will not last long. Japanese people view him as weak. Because he is not controversial, doesn't stir emotions, has more rational approach. It was always like that. "Noisy" and controversial PMs were always popular here and despite mostly failing their promises bad, people view them still as good.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

"There are no strong candidates to replace him. Chances are the current government will drag on despite very weak public support, which would be quite tragic,"

We've been hearing this for almost a decade, dating back to when Abe took over as an explanation for why he was able to coast through despite a lackluster record. Surely in a country of 126 million people there is SOMEBODY strong enough to replace an out of touch old man with zero communication skills.

What this really means is that the LDP as an organization is incapable of producing competent leaders, because those in control are able to block their advance through the ranks. And thanks to its capture of the machinery of government it can also prevent other parties that might produce actual leaders from ever gaining power.

So Japan is eternally stuck with this constant refrain of "We are stuck with an incompetent leader because our system cannot produce any competent leaders to replace them."

1 ( +1 / -0 )

What this really means is that the LDP as an organization is incapable of producing competent leaders, because those in control are able to block their advance through the ranks. And thanks to its capture of the machinery of government it can also prevent other parties that might produce actual leaders from ever gaining power.

So Japan is eternally stuck with this constant refrain of "We are stuck with an incompetent leader because our system cannot produce any competent leaders to replace them."

You catch on fast grasshopper

1 ( +1 / -0 )

What pressure? National opinion polls do not matter.

The LDP maintains a strong favorable rating among the young, and the support rate is more than 6x the closest opposition. Japanese voters never betray their local political families, so LDP will be winning a landslide no matter what happens. Suga may lose his PM, but LDP is 100% winning this year's election in another landslide.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Suga’s downfall started with a plate of steak but it will finish with humble pie...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It tends to happen.

When you, you know, suck at your job.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

And the pressure continues to mount...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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