Japan's PM Kishida vows to fight COVID-19 by introducing new stimulus measures

New Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on 4 October vowed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo by introducing new stimulus measures and restoring the battered economy. He pledged to address the income inequality and creating jobs to be able to rescue the country out of the crisis situation. Shortly after he was elected as the head of the world’s third-largest economy, 64-year-old newly designated leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who became the 100th prime minister promised to strengthen the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic, local media reported. “I am determined to do my duty with all my might and with all my heart,” the leader said, adding that the COVID-19 will be his “top priority”, several news agencies reported. 

Japans’ leader stated that he will adopt quick economic actions to provide assistance to the most vulnerable citizens that were reeling under the pandemic's impact. The latter was quoted saying that he was “determined to do my duty with all my might and with all my heart” as he announced the country’s general election for 31 October. Japan’s PM defeated the nation’s popular COVID-19 vaccine chief from the government’s task force, Taro Kono last week to retain Tokyo’s leading party’s leadership. He then won Monday’s vote in parliament that promised him the seat of the prime minister as he replaced ex-Japanese leader Yoshihide Suga, who resigned after only one year in office over the mishandling of the pandemic. 

Fight against coronavirus 'continuing', says new PM 

“Our fight against the coronavirus is continuing," Kishida told his first news conference on Monday, the Associated Press reported. He stated that the COVID-19 measures were a matter of utmost urgency for his government. “I will handle the problem taking into consideration the worst-case scenario,” Kishida said. He added that he will review the reports regarding how the pandemic was managed by the former government and will then establish a crisis management unit and create a recovery package for the benefit of the economy and the citizens.

Tokyo’s major party faction has entrusted Kishida to rescue his country out of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and barrel the economy on the road to recovery. This would rather be a tough task that Japan’s former defense and the foreign minister would be expected to accomplish as it toppled the ex-Premier Suga out of power, sinking his approval ratings to an all-time high and pushing his LDP party to view him as a ‘political liability’. Suga had hoped the Olympics games would help boost his popularity but instead his approval ratings plunged to the lowest ever, below 30 per cent in July and August, as per the local press' polls.