First in a series of six
Until a year ago, Japan had enjoyed nearly eight years of unprecedented political stability under the rule of then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Before that, the world’s third largest economy had undergone political tumult, doing away with six prime ministers in as many years. After returning to power in 2012, Abe was able to restore and maintain power partly after cementing his position within the Liberal Democratic Party, with virtually nobody being able to challenge him.
But the dynamics in the LDP started to change after Abe abruptly resigned last year and Yoshihide Suga took over the helm. Suga initially enjoyed a 62% approval rating — only to see that quickly fizzle before his own eyes, having to deal with surging waves of the pandemic — and the Olympic and Paralympic Games doing little to buoy his standing among the public.