Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his cabinet tendered their resignation, paving the way for his successor to take office after confirmation in Parliament which will take place hours later this Wednesday.

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, He announced earlier in the month that he would be leaving the position due to health problems.

“I dedicated my body and soul to economic recovery and diplomacy and to protect the national interests of Japan every day since we returned to power “Abe told reporters in his office before heading to his last cabinet meeting.

The 65-year-old premier assured that his health is improving thanks to the treatment and thanked the people for their support, asking them to support his successor.

The Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, long considered Abe’s right-hand man, was elected Monday as the new head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party., which virtually guarantees that he will be elected prime minister in a parliamentary vote on Wednesday, due to the party’s legislative majority.

Suga, a self-taught politician and son of a strawberry farmer in northern Akita prefecture, has highlighted his origins when promising work for the interests of ordinary people and rural communities.

He has said that he will bring Abe’s unfinished policies to fruition and that His priorities will be to fight the coronavirus and reactivate an economy hit by the pandemic. He won the backing of the party’s leading figures and their supporters in the early stages of the campaign, thanks to expectations that he would continue along the line drawn by Abe.

Suga has been a loyal supporter of Abe since his first stint as prime minister between 2006 and 2007. Abe had to end that term abruptly due to health problems, and Suga helped him return to office in 2012.

When asked what he would like to achieve as prime minister, Suga praised Abe’s diplomatic efforts and economic policies.

Source: izzso