Africa Business Radio

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has announced that he will not run in a ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership race later this month, setting the stage for his replacement after just one year in office.He says running in the race and handling coronavirus countermeasures would have required an enormous amount of energy.Suga’s support ratings sink below 30 per cent as the nation struggles with its worst wave of COVID-19 infections, ahead of a general election this year.Toshihiro Nikai, the LDP’s secretary-general says President Suga wants to focus his efforts on anti-coronavirus measures and will not run in the leadership election.