It is hard to fathom a Suga administration that doesn't closely resemble the politics and policies of the Abe administration, given how Suga, known for his behind-the-scenes coordination skills, played a vital role in helping Abe govern.

Suga will be a game changer in terms of tightening the economy - restructuring health care, raising consumption tax, closing the loopholes. He will aim for a fiscally responsible budget - and the result will be more expensive for average hosueholds.

It is hard to fathom a Suga administration that doesn't closely resemble the politics and policies of the Abe administration, given how Suga, known for his behind-the-scenes coordination skills, played a vital role in helping Abe govern.

Duh! Don't need a think tank to figure that out

Suga will be a game changer in terms of tightening the economy - restructuring health care, raising consumption tax, closing the loopholes.

He did say that he (claims to) think the tax rate doesn't need to be raised for 10 years.

Of course, the 40 trillion yen budget deficit (and that's before coronavirus blew it out) would suggest otherwise (as would the MMT believers).

He will aim for a fiscally responsible budget

I'm skeptical that he'll have the balls for that!

Chopping spending to the tune of 40 trillion is like slashing per capita public spending by 40%, or something like 300,000 yen less spending per person on average.

Discount the kids and the elderly and the otherwise needy, and that'll push the number up... it's quite a bit to bear for the typical household.

For starters, the various tax breaks for the well-off should be chopped. I'm talking about stuff like the cash-backs for having a large mortgage balance (worth up to 500,000 yen per year for those with big mortgages on new homes). People who are well-off enough to afford such homes don't need the cash-backs, this sort of spending must be slashed to alleviate the burden on those of lesser means.