Yoshihide Suga: From Farmer's son to Japan's next prime minister

In 1987 Suga was elected to his first office as a municipal assembly member in Yokohama outside Tokyo. He was a backer of Abe, motivating  him to stand for a second term despite his "not so impressive" first run at office in 1996.

Eventually, when Abe rose to power in 2012, he selected Suga as the chief cabinet secretary, acting as Abe's spokesperson, coordinating policies and keeping bureaucrats in line. While accepting the party's nomination as a representative leader, Suga said, "I, with this background, was able to become the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party with all its history and tradition. I will devote the whole of myself to Japan and the Japanese people."

Suga emerges as an underdog as he managed to keep a low profile. He became better known as "Uncle Reiwa", when he was the one to unveil the name of the new  era, Reiwa, a historical moment that marked the ascent of the new emperor. In a recent interview, Suga revealed that he starts his day with 100 sit-ups and repeats the same in the evening. He added that he has a soft corner for pancakes.

Suga is focused on taking Abe’s signature economic formula, better known as Abenomics, integrating easy monetary policy, government spending and structural reform of industries such as agriculture.