Have a confidential tip for our reporters? He has a long political history and was previously the Chief Cabinet Secretary under Abe. He suggested he could enlist the help of the private logistics sector, and didn’t deny he might seek to involve the Self-Defense Forces or volunteers. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. plans to start local clinical trials of Novavax Inc.’s candidate on Feb. 20, according to a regulatory filing, while the Japanese drugmaker is also set to start trials for Moderna Inc.’s shot this week. Kono has in the past publicly stated his desire to hold the top job. Trouble-free rollouts of such programs in Asian neighbors such as South Korea and Singapore have clouded the government’s response. "Experts indicate that it is necessary to look at the situation a little more to determine that it is a decreasing trend," he told parliament. — With assistance by Isabel Reynolds, and Lisa Du. Kono said on a BS-TBS TV show before the news conference that he would be responsible for coordinating among various ministries and 1,700 local authorities that will ultimately administer the doses. meREWARDS lets you get coupon deals, and earn cashback when you complete surveys, dine, travel and shop with our partners. The Asahi poll came after opposition lawmakers criticised the brevity of Suga's answers to questions on the government's response to the COVID-19 crisis and the Olympics during a parliamentary debate on Thursday. He assumed the charge on 16 September 2016, after former Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, resigned on health grounds. Japan has had a total of 365,723 cases of the novel coronavirus and 5,120 deaths, NHK reported. TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga faced renewed pressure on Monday (Jan 25) over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with a new opinion poll showing many believed the government was too slow to respond to the latest wave of infections. Support for Suga's cabinet dropped to 33 per cent from 39 per cent last month, with disapproval rising 10 points to 45 per cent, according to a poll published by the Asahi newspaper on Monday. It took months to fully distribute a one-time cash handout meant to tide households over last spring, while the distribution of two face masks to all households met with widespread derision due to the time and money involved. When Suga became prime minister in September, he named Kono to an administrative reform post in his cabinet rather than one of the traditional high-profile jobs, initially raising suspicions he was trying to sideline a potential rival. TOKYO (AP) — IOC President Thomas Bach and local organizers are pushing back against reports that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will be canceled. Tick-Tock-Tick. Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says stable currency moves are 'extremely important' Published Thu, Nov 5 2020 10:12 PM EST Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter … Tokyo: A surge in coronavirus cases in Japan has dealt a blow to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s once strong public support, raising the risk he gets replaced by the ruling party ahead of an election that must be held by October. Mediacorp Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. "To get over it with an abstract, really short answer is the same as rejecting to explain it to the people," Mainichi quoted opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Tetsuro Fukuyama as saying last week. Kono, named to the vaccine post late Monday, has been seen as a potential rival to Suga as premier. Yoshihide Suga formally announcing his bid. Yoshihide Suga Becomes Japan's Prime Minister, Pledging To Follow Abe's Course The former chief Cabinet secretary and government spokesman was sworn in … Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga delivers a policy speech during an ordinary Diet session at the upper house of parliament in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga delivers a policy speech during an ordinary Diet session at the upper house of parliament in Tokyo, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed in a speech to parliament to overcome the latest wave of coronavirus infections and laid out environmental and … Pfizer to Deliver U.S. Yoshihide Suga is the current Prime Minister of Japan. Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram. It looks like the email address you entered is not valid. But Japan has also had vastly fewer deaths from Covid-19 than many other developed nations, and had about the same number of recorded infections in the past year than the U.S. has tallied on certain days in January. Vaccine Doses Faster Than Expected: CEO, U.S. States Ease Covid Restrictions as Variants Take Hold, EU Vaccine Spat Worsens; France Wants Second Doses: Virus Update, France Won’t Delay Second Covid Vaccine Dose, Citing Risks From New Variants. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, suffering a support slide over his virus management, set off fresh criticism for flouting government … TOKYO - Is the writing already on the wall for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga after only four months in office? Kono is facing a public more skeptical of vaccines than in many nations and is charged with leading a campaign set to be a defining moment for Suga, whose support has fallen hard due to what many see as mistakes in virus management. Suga is struggling to halt a steady decline in support for his four-month-old government even after launching a raft of measures to contain a third wave of coronavirus infections with the Olympics due to begin on Jul 23. TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that his government is working on the final details of a plan to release massive amounts of radioactive water being stored at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, a decision that has been delayed by protests. FILE - In this Oct. 12, 2020, file photo, streaks of lights from cars pass through a business district in Tokyo. This is a story from the archives, published in the Jan. 27, 2019, edition of The Nikkei. Yoshihide Suga has been elected Japan's new Prime Minister following a vote in the country's Parliament on Wednesday, confirming the former cardboard factory worker and … "It is clear that was problematic, not just because it may have contributed to rise in case numbers by people travelling around the country, but also by giving young people an impression that they could lower their guard," he said. Most Japanese people either think they will … Yoshihito Niki, an infectious disease specialist and professor at Showa University Hospital, agreed the government should have halted the campaign earlier. Opposition lawmakers were also increasingly frustrated with Suga's taciturn leadership style, demanding he provide detailed answers to questions about the COVID-19 crisis and the Tokyo Olympics set to start in less than six months. The reform drive has become one of Suga’s signature issues, with Kono helping to lead a high-profile effort to scrap traditions such as stamping paper documents and widespread use of fax machines to boost efficiency in the public sector. READ: Caught off-guard by scant testing, Japan battered by COVID-19 winter, READ: Japan stands firm on Tokyo Olympics schedule, denies report of cancellation, BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments. Analysts seem to think so. TOKYO -- Yoshihide Suga was elected as the new head of Japan’s ruling party on Monday, all but assuring that he will become the country's new prime minister when a … Copyright© Mediacorp 2021. Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said last week he hoped Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine would be approved in mid-February, making it the first in the country. Concern is also growing over the new variant first identified in the U.K., with Japan’s Health Ministry saying Tuesday community transmission of the strain may now be ongoing in the country after finding the mutation for the first time among people with no recent travel history. GameStop’s Volatile Rally Smashes Wall Street Price Targets, Merck Shuts Down Covid Vaccine Program After Lackluster Data, GameStop Short-Sellers Reload Bets After $6 Billion Loss, It Seems Money Does Buy Happiness After All, Tech Leads Stock Gains Ahead of Megacap Earnings: Markets Wrap. This service is not intended for persons residing in the EU. Suga said that despite the fall in cases in Tokyo the government was in no rush to lift the state of emergency. Also Read - Yoshihide Suga Elected Japan’s New Prime Minister Succeeding Shinzo Abe, ... For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Chances are the current government will drag on despite very weak public support, which would be quite tragic," he said. Sport Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga vows to press ahead with Olympics 7:28pm, Jan 18, 2021 Updated: 7:29pm, Jan 18 Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attends parliament in … The outspoken reformer named by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to lead a massive vaccine rollout pledged to work quickly on inoculations as the country nears approval of Pfizer Inc.’s shot for the coronavirus. Logistical challenges have bedeviled Japan’s government throughout the pandemic. As Suga’s popularity has slumped, Kono was voted the most suitable person to be the next prime minister in a Mainichi poll on Jan. 16. Abe, the scion of a political dynasty, was groomed for office from a young age. Suga is standing by the government's commitment to host the Summer Games despite a report in The Times last week saying officials in Tokyo had abandoned hope of holding the event this year. Suga enjoyed some of the highest approval ratings on record for a new prime minister in September, when the ruling Liberal Democratic Party installed him as its … The record 5.34 trillion yen ($51.7 billion) defense budget planned for fiscal 2021 is the first under Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and is a 1.1% increase over the current year’s budget. Opinion polls show the public is strongly against holding the Games amid the pandemic. Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, left, sits during a meeting with Vietnam's National Assembly's Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in Hanoi, Vietnam, Monhday, Oct. 19, 2020. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp's partners. Tokyo recorded 986 new cases on Sunday, falling below 1,000 for the first time since Jan. 12. Infection data released over the weekend indicated that Japan's third, and most deadly, wave of COVID-19 infections was peaking. In a written statement, Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihide Suga promised that the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympics games would be held this summer regardless of the pandemic.Suga described the games as being “a symbol of world unity,” and promised that this year’s games would be “safe and secure.” (RELATED: REPORT: Russia Can’t Use Its Name, Anthem Or Flag At The Next 2 Olympics) Japan aims to eliminate gasoline-powered vehicles in about 15 years, the government said Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in a plan to achieve Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s ambitious pledge to go carbon free by 2050 and generate nearly $2 trillion growth in green business and investment. TOKYO -- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will zero in on green and digital technology under new economic plans as the nation tries to balance spurring growth and containing the coronavirus outbreak. Support for Yoshihide Suga plunges as his travel policy is blamed in part for rise in infections Justin McCurry in Tokyo Yoshihide Suga’s honeymoon period as … Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Sunday congratulated Democrat Joe Biden on his election as the next U.S. president, expressing a desire to bolster bilateral ties. TOKYO -- Yoshihide Suga's day begins by reading all major newspapers and then doing 100 situps. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) In a speech opening a new Parliament session, Suga said his government would revise laws to make anti-virus measures enforceable with penalties and compensation. "There are no strong candidates to replace him. Concern growing over new variant first identified in the U.K. Japan stepping up vaccine process as Suga’s popularity slumps. Now set to open July 23, the Tokyo Games were postponed 10 months ago at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and … The poll conducted by telephone on the weekend showed 80 per cent of respondents thought the government was too slow to declare a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus outbreak which has swept the country since December. Osaka prefecture also reported the lowest number of new cases since that date. The outspoken reformer named by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to lead a massive vaccine rollout pledged to work quickly on inoculations … An Upper House steering committee petitioned Suga's office to provide more thorough responses during future debates, according to the Mainichi and Asahi newspapers. The government says its decision to stick with the domestic tourism campaign was appropriate based on infection data at the time. The countdown clock for the postponed Tokyo Olympics hit 200 days to go on Monday. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga delivers a policy speech at the opening of the Lower House parliamentary session in Tokyo, Japan, Jan 18, … His background is in sharp contrast to the man he will succeed as prime minister in an extraordinary Diet session on Wednesday. Analysts say Suga, the top government spokesman, is all but assured of getting the role, and by default, becoming Japan’s next prime minister. Yoshihide Suga. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said holding the delayed Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer would be a sign of "victory against the coronavirus." Yoshihide Suga has cultivated an image as a self-made man -- his motto is 'Where there's a will, there's a way.' Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said the government would not end the emergency even if cases in Tokyo dropped below 500 a day. Nihon University political science professor Tomoaki Iwai said Suga was "not a great communicator" but his leadership was not currently in doubt. 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