Foreign Affairs

Japan’s Ruling Party Announces Emergency Measures To Replace Abe, Plans to Forego Normal Election Protocol

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Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has officially decided to implement emergency measures in order to expedite the election of the nation’s next prime minister.

LDP’s general council has approved an emergency election for their party president requiring a majority vote of the 535 ballots allotted to Diet members and prefectural representatives, according to The Japan Times. Normal elections call for the votes of an additional 394 non-Diet members of the party that will be excluded under these emergency conditions.

As the dominant party in the Japanese Diet, the party president of the LDP will almost certainly become the new prime minister.

The party’s decision comes after Shinzo Abe, the current and longest-serving prime minister of Japan, recently announced that he would be resigning from his office, ending a historic tenure. Abe cited a chronic illness as the reason for his retirement. The same illness ended his first stint as prime minister in 2007.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga is expected to announce his candidacy for party president on Wednesday, though the longtime Abe ally has been quiet about his intentions.

“I want to refrain from commenting on the presidential election, including my own situation, as this is a place to explain the views of the government,” Suga said Tuesday during a press conference as chief cabinet secretary, Yomiuri Shinbun reported.

The relationship between Japan and the U.S. is a key focal point for the incoming prime minister. Recent years have seen a strong collaboration between President Donald Trump and Abe, as well as a focus on mutually-beneficial policy-making.

“Shinzo will soon be recognized as the greatest Prime Minister in the history of Japan, whose relationship with the USA is the best it has ever been,” Trump announced on Twitter following Abe’s announcement of resignation. The two world leaders reportedly spoke over the phone.

Just had a wonderful conversation with my friend, Prime Minister @AbeShinzo of Japan, who will be leaving office soon. Shinzo will soon be recognized as the greatest Prime Minister in the history of Japan, whose relationship with the USA is the best it has ever been. Special man!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2020