Japan’s Suga Risks Joining a Long List of Short-Term Leaders
- Special election defeats come amid virus emergency in Tokyo
- Polls show public dissatisfied with slow vaccine rollout
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Losses in three special elections for parliamentary seats in a single day have left Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in search of a way to quickly boost support or risk joining a long list of short-serving premiers.
Support for Suga, who succeeded his long-time boss, Shinzo Abe, last year, has been dragged down by corruption scandals and a sluggish Covid response. The triple loss in the weekend elections came on the same day a new virus emergency was imposed on about a quarter of the population, adding to Suga’s woes with the clock ticking for a general election that must be held within about six months.