2026 POLLS: Ex-PM Suga Urges LDP to Keep Promises with JIP

Tokyo, Jan. 27 (Jiji Press)–Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has urged the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, of which he was a member lawmaker, to make sure that its promises with its new coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, are implemented without fail. The LDP, which “has a short history of ties with the JIP, should not forget to implement its promises (with the partner) because it is working to carry out reforms,” Suga, 77, who has retired from politics by not contesting the Feb. 8 election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Japan’s parliament, said in an interview with media organizations including Jiji Press on Monday. The former prime minister emphasized the importance of close communication among coalition partners. “Communication is key because (coalition partners) are different parties, regardless of how long the partnership has continued,” he said. “It was very painful to see an end to our relationship with Komeito, with which we worked together for as long as 26 years, even when the two parties were in opposition,” he continued. The LDP-Komeito partnership was dissolved last October, when LDP President and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office. Suga first won his Diet seat in the 1996 Lower House election. He was later elected to the chamber nine times. He holds the record as the longest-serving chief cabinet secretary, retaining the post of top government spokesman for seven years and eight months under the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s second administration, which lasted from December 2012 to September 2020. Succeeding Abe, Suga served as prime minister for about a year until early October 2020. Suga said in the interview that he began thinking about retirement after turning 70, adding that his physical condition made him decide to quit politics. Recalling some 30 years of his career in national politics, Suga said that he is proud of the government’s efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic during his tenure as prime minister, stressing that he put his political life on the line to achieve one million vaccine shots per day at the time. “We did better than any other country in the world,” he said. The former prime minister did not choose a relative to succeed him in the No. 2 Lower House constituency in Kanagawa Prefecture, eastern Japan, explaining that he had opposed political dynasties since during his time as an active politician. “I want to give as many opportunities as possible to people with political aspirations,” he said. “I have taken care to carry out ‘politics that makes sense to the public,’ such as giving health insurance coverage to fertility treatment, drastically lowering mobile phone rates and declaring to aim for a decarbonized society,” he said. “I hope (the next generation of lawmakers) will work with a resolve as a politician on issues that must be tackled for the future.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]