Japan’s Ultimate Insider Faces Test Navigating U.S.-China Feud
- Suga would need to balance tense ties between two rivals
- Long-time Shinzo Abe aide has little experience on world stage
Yoshihide Suga
Photographer: Akio Kon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A picture of U.S. President Donald Trump beams down from the wall of Yoshihide Suga’s office. The two men are standing side by side in the photo, a token of the long-time Japanese chief cabinet secretary’s global stature.
The reality is that Suga -- the man all but assured to succeed ailing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as premier later this month -- has little experience in foreign policy. Abe will be a tough act to follow after he walked a delicate balance between Japan’s biggest trading partner, China, and its only military ally, the U.S.