Japan readies itself for an unpredictable ballot economist.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from economist.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Can dullness be a virtue?
Suga Yoshihide is failing to connect with the Japanese people
Nowadays the job of prime minister is a poisoned chalice
D
URING HIS time as chief cabinet secretary, Suga Yoshihide flummoxed Japanese comedians. “He never had any distinctive characteristics,” says Yamamoto Tenshin, who impersonates Mr Suga for “The Newspaper”, a comedy troupe. Voters projected their hopes on that blank slate when Mr Suga became prime minister in September: he entered office with approval ratings as high as 74%. Yet the longer he has spent under the spotlight, the less satisfied Japanese have become. More disapprove than approve of his performance (see chart). Some polls show as few as 33% of voters praising Mr Suga’s administration. He even looks the worse for wear recently, with a cough and hoarse voice. “He’s visibly weaker,” says Mr Yamamoto.