77-year-old ex-PM Suga retiring to pass baton to younger lawmakers

TOKYO — Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Saturday announced his decision to retire as a lawmaker, citing his advanced age and wish to pass the baton on to younger generations of Japanese lawmakers with a general election likely to be called soon.

Suga was a close aide to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and served as his government spokesman for a record seven years and eight months. The 77-year-old lower house lawmaker of the Liberal Democratic Party told his supporters that he will not be seeking reelection.

"Celebrating kiju (77 years of age), I've started to think seriously about making way for the next generation," Suga told reporters in Yokohama, his constituency near Tokyo.

The current prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is expected to dissolve the House of Representatives later this month for a snap election, probably on Feb 8.

The son of a strawberry farmer, Suga overcame his outsider status to work his way up through Japanese politics after being first elected to the lower house in 1996.

After serving as chief Cabinet secretary, Suga succeeded Abe, who became the country's longest-serving prime minister but quit due to ill health in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Suga was considered a prime minister who was able to deliver on policy promises made under his leadership, though his approach at times drew criticism for being high-handed.

© KYODO