Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose ruling coalition according to media polls is projected to remain in power in Sunday's general election, appears poised to differentiate himself from his predecessor Yoshihide Suga in order to avoid quickly following him out of office.
So far, Kishida has apparently not been making the same mistake as Suga on the communication front.
After taking office in early October, Kishida pledged to listen to people's voices and held talks with business operators and others during election campaigning, apparently to draw a contrast with Suga, who was criticized for being out of touch with public sentiment in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.