Is Japan’s Yoshihide Suga planning a comeback as PM Fumio Kishida’s approval rating sinks?

Suga, who Kishida replaced in October 2021, has been a vocal opponent of his successor’s unpopular plan to increase taxes for defence spending

The former leader is ‘trying to make sure he’s seen’, an analyst said, amid lingering factional infighting and a public ‘disappointed’ in Kishida

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Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) and his predecessor Yoshihide Suga pictured in 2021. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

Published: 8:32am, 24 Jan 2023

Unpopular with the public and increasingly within his own party, the political future of Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may hinge on local elections and by-elections in April. And should his Liberal Democratic Party fare badly at the polls, then a familiar name appears to be waiting in the wings.

There is growing speculation that former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga may be plotting a return as the public’s perception of his one-year in office is being reassessed in light of Kishida’s shortcomings since he took over from Suga in October 2021.

Suga was critical of Kishida in a recent interview for the Bungeishunju news magazine, accusing the prime minister of deepening factional rivalries within the LDP by deciding to stay on as faction leader after becoming national leader.

“This sends the message that factional politics linger, which only makes the public more critical,” Suga said.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga holds talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on January 9. Photo: Kyodo

Suga is not a member of a party faction but apparently feels he and some factions have been sidelined from the decision-making process, as Kishida has relied on members of his own parliamentary grouping, working closely with Taro Aso, party vice-president, and party secretary general Toshimitsu Motegi, who both head their own factions.