Yoshihide Suga elected as Japan’s new prime minister

TOKYO: Yoshihide Suga was elected as the prime minister of Japan on Wednesday to become the country’s first new leader in nearly eight years

Suga, a farmer’s son as leader of the world’s third-largest economy served as chief cabinet secretary to outgoing premier Shinzo Abe after the ruling party elected him on Monday.

Suga gained a total of 377 out of 534 valid votes cast by Liberal Democratic Party (LPD) lawmakers and regional representatives leading his two rivals former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba and LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida.

Read more: Shinzo Abe resigns as Japan’s PM over health issues

Suga assumed charges at a time when Japan is facing a crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Japan also will deal with a rapidly aging society, with nearly a third of its population older than 65.

Last month, Shinzo Abe resigned from his designation over health problems. Reportedly, he was a patient of ulcerative colitis disease for many years but his condition has worsened recently.