Shinzo abe
Japan's Parliament elects Yoshihide Suga as new prime minister
Suga, who on Monday was elected leader of the LDP, is viewed as a continuity candidate and has said his run was inspired by a desire to pursue Shinzo Abe's...
A powerful government adviser and spokesman, 71-year-old Suga is seen as promising stability and a continuation of Shinzo Abe's policies.
Abe had been all but synonymous with Tokyo 2020, heavily involved in the winning bid in 2013 and dressing up as video game character Mario during the closing ceremony of the Rio Games three years later.
Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced he would be stepping down due to health reasons, after he was admitted to hospital on Monday for a condition he has been living with from his youth.
The unexpected news of Abe's resignation sent Tokyo stocks plunging more than two percent, with the benchmark Nikkei 225 index reversing earlier gains.
Abe has been to hospital twice in the last two weeks, including one visit of 7-1/2 hours. He has not detailed what the visits were for, instead saying he wanted to take care of his health and do his utmost at his job.
Government sources said it was not a worrying situation, Nippon TV reported, while Kyodo News cited people near to the prime minister as saying it was for a regular check-up.
Abe, who did not echo Naruhito’s reference to remorse, sent a ritual offering to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine for war dead. But he avoided a personal visit that would anger China and South Korea.
The end of a government advisory for people to stay put in infected prefectures or avoid travelling to them should help hotels, resorts and areas that rely heavily on tourism.
Senior international Olympic official John Coates said last week that Tokyo organisers face 'real problems' putting on the Games next year while Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said the event cannot be postponed further.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared an initial month-long state of emergency for Tokyo and six other regions on 7 April, later expanding it to cover the entire country.
The comments from Shinzo Abe were his first acknowledgement that the 2020 Games may not open as scheduled on 24 July, as the coronavirus marches across the globe causing unprecedented chaos.
Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito are forecast to win more than 63 seats, or a majority of the 124 seats contested in the 21 July election.
Tokyo and Washington are engaged in difficult trade talks as Trump’s administration seeks to lower the US trade deficit.
Washington sounded out Tokyo over the possibility of nominating Trump for the prize after his landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in June 2018.
Mia Kurihara was found dead in the bathroom of her home in Chiba near Tokyo last month after authorities failed to respond to her repeated pleas for help.
PM Shinzo Abe vowed to focus on concluding an official peace treaty with Russia, after meeting President Vladimir Putin 25 times, most recently last month.
Speaking alongside her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, Angela Merkel said 'we want to do everything to avoid a no-deal because that would increase the uncertainty.'
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said Japan will also seek to spearhead discussions on climate change and ways to facilitate the use of digital data while protecting intellectual property.