Yoshihide Suga, the Prime Minister of Japan, is to step down as the country’s head-of-government, after only a year in the position.
Suga announced that he would not be running for re-election as the head of the governing party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), signalling the end of his tenure. The LDP is due to hold its leadership election at the end of this month. Whoever wins is likely to succeed Suga as the prime minister of Japan.
Suga has been under pressure for some time, as the country battles with the Covid-19 pandemic and many Japanese were unhappy with the decision to go ahead with the hosting of the Olympics in Tokyo, despite the pandemic.
A general election is also scheduled for November.