Tokyo, September 16: Yoshihide Suga has been elected as Japan’s prime minister, becoming the country’s first new leader in nearly eight years and facing a raft of challenges including reviving an economy battered by the COVID-19 crisis. Suga, the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, will take office as Japan`s Prime Minister from today.

The entire Cabinet of former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe submitted their resignations on Tuesday.  Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, announced last month that he was stepping down because of health problems.Japan's Next PM: Shinzo Abe And Cabinet Resign, Clearing Way for Successor Yoshihide Suga to Take Over.

Yoshihide Suga Elected as Japan's New PM:

According to media reports, roughly half the cabinet will be made up of people from the Abe cabinet, and there are only two women. The average age, including Suga, is 60.

Suga is the son of a strawberry grower in the northern prefecture of Akita, has stressed his background in promising to serve the interests of ordinary people and rural communities. According to reports, Suga was a loyal supporter of Abe since his first stint as prime minister from 2006 to 2007. Abe's tenure ended abruptly because of illness, and Suga helped him to return as the Prime minister in 2012.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2020 10:42 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).