[Japanese Side] "No Achievements, No Actions" Reappearance Rumors Surrounding Former Prime Minister Suga

Self-Made Politician Impression
Also the Longest-Serving Chief Cabinet Secretary in History

Editor's NoteJapan, a country close yet distant. Many have heard the name but wonder who these figures really are. An international department reporter covering Japanese news introduces notable Japanese figures who made headlines over the past week, along with related stories.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. (Photo by Former Prime Minister Suga Facebook)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The person introduced this week is former Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide. In Korea, he is better known as 'Suga Kanbo' (Chief Cabinet Secretary). He served as prime minister for only one year, but held the record as the longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary for 7 years and 8 months under former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's cabinet.

Since stepping down as prime minister, he has not appeared in public, and is gradually being forgotten in Korea. However, former Prime Minister Suga has recently started to resurface. This is because as the Kishida cabinet faces instability, there is a so-called 'comeback theory' suggesting that political veterans should return.

In a JNN public opinion poll conducted on the 3rd and 4th of last month asking about the suitability for the next prime minister, former Prime Minister Suga ranked third. Digital Minister Kono was the top candidate before Prime Minister Kishida Fumio was elected, and Defense Minister Ishiba, known as 'Abe's rival,' saw his approval ratings rise inversely when former Prime Minister Abe's ratings fell.

While the first and second places are understandable, why is former Prime Minister Suga suddenly gaining attention? Recently, Japanese media have also focused on the question of how someone who served as prime minister for only one year is being mentioned as a candidate for the next prime minister.

From the Son of a Strawberry Farmer to Prime Minister

Japanese media pay attention to Suga's background when evaluating him. Former Prime Minister Suga was born and raised in Akita Prefecture to a father who ran a strawberry farm and a mother who was a teacher. Japanese politics is conservative, and many politicians inherit their constituencies from political families. Most influential members of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are children of politicians, so Suga is considered an exceptional self-made politician. After graduating high school, he moved alone to Tokyo, worked manual labor to earn money, and entered university two years later than others because he had to save money.

When he first entered politics as a city council member, lacking family ties, academic background, or wealth, he reportedly visited 30,000 households during his election campaign. His shoes wore out so much that he had to replace them six times.

Of course, later Weekly Bunshun reported that Suga's father's strawberry farm was actually successful and that he was effectively a local influential figure, disproving some of the 'hungry spirit' narrative. Still, in Japan, the image of him as a politician who rose from the grassroots seems deeply ingrained.

Because he lacked a strong background, he did not belong to any particular faction within the LDP and continued his political career independently. Although he briefly joined a faction, he finally left in 2009 declaring "factions are outdated," announcing a non-factional political stance. In political circles, Suga is described as "someone who does not reveal himself and does not make enemies."

Japanese media evaluate that he led a smooth government operation by managing a parliament dominated by the ruling party. One regional Japanese newspaper analyzed, "As the longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary, he was the key figure who helped former Prime Minister Abe maintain the longest tenure in office."

Thanks to his experience as Chief Cabinet Secretary, after former Prime Minister Abe resigned due to health issues, Suga was called the 'post-Abe' and became prime minister. However, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and due to controversies over poor response, his approval ratings dropped, forcing him to step down after one year. His term as prime minister was too short to show major achievements or failures. Yet, he keeps being mentioned because of the saying 'old officials are good officials.'

Matsuno Hirokazu, Chief Cabinet Secretary.
Photo by Yonhap News

In Japan, the Chief Cabinet Secretary is the 'number two' who wields strong political power after the prime minister. However, the current Chief Cabinet Secretary in the Kishida administration is virtually powerless. Have you heard of Matsuno Hirokazu, the current Chief Cabinet Secretary? Many know 'Suga,' but few have heard of 'Matsuno.'

This is because even within the LDP, there are criticisms about Matsuno's lack of presence. As a result, former Prime Minister Suga, who served as Chief Cabinet Secretary under Abe and rose to prime minister, is being reevaluated. Some voices suggest reappointing Suga as Chief Cabinet Secretary to stabilize the Kishida administration.

The Nishinippon Shimbun pointed out, "He is compared to Suga Kanbo of the Abe administration. Didn't he control the Prime Minister's residence and lead parliament operations dominated by the government and ruling party?" and criticized, "Matsuno Kanbo has a weak presence even within the ruling party and is not well regarded."

Benefiting from this indirect advantage, former Prime Minister Suga seems to be gradually preparing for a comeback. Last month, he met with LDP Secretary-General Nikai Toshihiro and Election Strategy Committee Chairman Moriyama Hiroshi. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported, "It appears they exchanged opinions on the operation of the Kishida administration." He also appeared at an LDP political fundraising party held in Yokohama. This seems to be an effort to strengthen internal unity ahead of next year's election.

"An Jung-geun Terrorist" Past Remarks Make Improving Relations with Korea Difficult

In Korea, his past remarks have recently become controversial. This is because Professor Seo Kyung-duk reexamined former Prime Minister Suga's comments related to the musical film 'Hero,' which depicts the story of An Jung-geun. Professor Seo mentioned, "When the An Jung-geun Memorial Hall opened in China in 2014, former Prime Minister Suga called An Jung-geun a terrorist who assassinated Japan's first prime minister and was sentenced to death, earning praise from Japanese right-wing forces."

Former Prime Minister Suga aligned with former Prime Minister Abe, so their diplomatic policies are consistent. This is further revealed in Abe's state funeral eulogy.

He found a biography of Yamagata Aritomo on Abe's desk, noting that Abe had underlined certain parts, and recited this in the eulogy: "A person with whom I shared my heart has passed away first. Where should the world go from now on?"

This line was originally written by Yamagata to mourn Ito Hirobumi when he was assassinated by An Jung-geun. This gives insight into Suga's diplomatic stance.

The fact that this comment became a widely discussed eulogy that moved Japan also says a lot. No matter how popular Korean culture is among Japanese people in their 20s and 30s and how favorable public opinion toward Korea becomes, the figure leading Japan, even amid comeback theories, is someone who faithfully inherits former Prime Minister Abe's legacy. Even if a political heavyweight returns, it seems unlikely that a warm breeze will blow in Korea-Japan relations.