Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Friday he will resign amid criticism of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I had planned to run, but dealing with both Covid-19 and the elections would require an enormous amount of energy. I decided there was no way to do both,” the official said, confirming that he will no longer be the head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The official explained that he will concentrate on taking new measures to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, work until September 30, and hand over his resignation. However, Suga did not name a successor.
Japan’s Prime Minister had been occupied by Shinzo Abe, who also resigned before Suga took on the role. Critics highlight that he had to extend the state of emergency to 21 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, causing a major drop in his approval ratings.
