On Monday, Japan’s Fumio Kishida took office as the country’s new Prime Minister. He was officially confirmed as the country’s 100th Prime Minister after being elected as the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party last week and a parliamentary vote. After the parliamentary vote, Kishida announced his Cabinet of 20 members, 13 of which have no previous Cabinet experience.
Kishida inherits a Japan that is struggling after an increase in Covid-19 infections, a stagnating economy, and increased tensions with China. He follows outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga after he struggled to contain the coronavirus and lost public support. Kishida is seen as stable, however, he struggled to gain support from the public. Kishida will face his first test in the next general election as the face of the Liberal Democratic Party. A large chunk of his platform is dedicated to improving the economic state of Japan from failed “trickle down” attempts and the pandemic-induced slump.
Read more: Fumio Kishida takes office as Japan’s new Prime Minister
