Nearly 80% of LDP lawmakers back Suga in post-Abe leadership race

It's his turn, that's the rule in the LDP and he knows all the dirt on them. Nothing like a career Bueuracrat to lead....look at Putin, Xi.

Who's your Suga daddy?

A One Party Ruling is NOT a democracy, so why even vote.

Mark  said "A One Party Ruling is NOT a democracy, so why even vote."

Which law says that, Mark ?

Ignoramus is the same as a fool, by definition.

Older people tend to be wiser, as long as they are not mad.

Poor old Japan,a chance for change dashed again by the old boys club..

Mind you we wouldn't want a Japanese version of Thatcher, at the helm would we,?

bo said "Mind you we wouldn't want a Japanese version of Thatcher, at the helm would we,?"

No. What good things that a Japanese version of Thatcher could bring to Japan ? East is opposite to the west, geographically speaking.

Older people tend to be wiser, as long as they are not mad.

@Akie

Can we get a source for that data or is that based on anecdotes that old people = “wise”

There are plenty of instances where elderly make critical errors or have a lapse in judgement.

Also, mad in what way? Are you suggesting youthful people are angry and that makes them less credible?

GrungeHamster, hahaha, by your definition, new born baby is wiser ?

So this diminutive, depressing man from the frozen northern region will be the next PM. He is a worse globalist than Abe and believes in selling of parts of Japan to foreign investors just to make money.

Age is in no way a guarantee of wisdom, in fact an inability to understand a changing world, clutching at out of date ideas, and a stubborn attitude to change, in a leadership role age does retard a whole country from progress.

Nearly 80% of LDP lawmakers back Suga in post-Abe leadership race

Wow! Like we didn't see that coming...

A One Party Ruling is NOT a democracy, so why even vote.

Because Mark. Its just for show. Japanese politics are all show, lots of promises, and 0 substance.

Just plain rubbish. The LDP is doing exactly what the Tories in the UK did by choosing Boris Johnson en masse without further consideration. After that, they better not ask why Japanese people are becoming far more cynical about politics.

A One Party Ruling is NOT a democracy, so why even vote.

Because Japan has a Parliamentary form of government? The people voted for their electors (sort of like America’s electoral college).

Danny NguyenToday  08:06 am JST

Just plain rubbish. The LDP is doing exactly what the Tories in the UK did by choosing Boris Johnson en masse without further consideration.

Not exactly. Ordinary Conservative Party members at least got a say in the last leadership election. Ordinary LDP members are being shut out of this one and the votes of local party chapters will count for a lot less than those of the Diet members who are predominantly in Suga's pocket - all thanks to his chum Nikai for obligingly setting things up that way.

A One Party Ruling is NOT a democracy, so why even vote.

Because Japan has a Parliamentary form of government? The people voted for their electors (sort of like America’s electoral college).

A single party for almost 70 years of uninterrupted rule is not the sign of a healthy democracy. Single rule also cements decades worth of corruption and collusion.

Japan is a democracy on paper but like a lot of other things in Japan the appearance of something is often more important than the actuality.

Imagine my shock.

A one party state in everything but name.

A one party state in everything but name.

The LDP has been in power longer than the Communist Party in China. Five of the party factions date back to the founding of the party. Yes indeed, Japan is a one party state.

Akie, your contributions are as insightful as ever.

Is Suga the oldest one of the three? I bet you. How most decisions are made in Japan!

If you are a LDP old guy, you better vote for Suga or it’s Hello Work.

The LDP is the party responsible for preventing women single married or divorced from having any upward mobility in the party or in the country. They're the same party that has the salary man approach to picking leaders whomever kisses the backses if the last PM gets the job not whether he is healthy or effective enough. Same party responsible for not nationally digitizing the country because thet they don't know how to use the computer or internet. The country is in a bad way yet the people follow like lambs to the slaughterhouse.

Not only the members of LDP, majority of population of Japan also do not want a big change meaning Abe was affirmed.

Suga has my support for now.

It's better then the apologist name Ishiba, he wants to do exactly what Japan has tried for decades and only made things worse. Giving S. Korea what it wants, just for them to back out later and complain. Ishiba we have tried that already, giving over 50 apologies and paying compensation multiple times. At what point do you hold S. Korea accountable for the agreements they signed, the money they took without a problem, promises made and broken by half of Korea.

He also supported the 2015 apology and compensation paid to S. Korea... 2 years later in 2017 Moon administration changed the policy. Any comments Ishiba? What would you have done differently? Bend and get lower on your knees?

Weak excuse of a man I consider Ishiba. He represents the revolving door of changing Prime Ministers every 6 months to a Year.

majority of population of Japan also do not want a big change meaning Abe was affirmed.

Not true. The majority just gave up caring anymore.

GoodlucktoyouToday  10:02 am JST

If you are a LDP old guy, you better vote for Suga or it’s Hello Work.

Not necessarily. A lot of the LDP good old boys are pretty well entrenched in their constituencies, with funds, personal support networks built up over decades and stick-in-the-mud elderly voters who attach more importance to a family name than a party name, so they don't have to worry too much about not getting re-elected even if they're kicked out of the LDP.

Wow! 80%? I wonder how much that cost him?

I can’t wait for Suganomics to be the next major failure.

Nearly 80% of LDP lawmakers back Suga

Why? Apart from being the ‘heir to the throne’ what specific vision does he have that is so much better than the other candidates?

Suga said women with young children have "virtually no opportunities" to pursue political ambitions due to a dearth of child care options

Having served as Abe’s ‘right hand man’ for so long, isn’t this partly his fault? I thought the Abe government were all for improving opportunities for women. This statement from Suga would suggest he is partly to blame for women having ‘virtually no opportunities’.

Did he go in to explain why he should be trusted to turn it around when he hasn’t been able to do it in the last 5,6,7 years - or did he just spout a load of idealisms?

Y. Suga is a dinosaur like many politicians in Japan.

No progressive ideas will happen.

Printing money. Is the only thing they know.

The USA is not doing better after all with also so old candidates.

I always think to myself that if wotk retirement happens around 65, there is a good physiological/cogntive reason for that.

A Koizumi like person would be so better.

Under a banner announcing　女性局 sit three men. Am I the only one who finds this ironic?

Suga regime seem to be made, to maintain arrogant authoritarianism structure and to conceal or vague political scandal and illegal behavior of Abe government era.

They don't want to ask the public because they might lose control.

They know where the gravy train is.