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Suga Yoshihide steps down as Japan’s prime minister
菅义伟卸任日本首相一职
Just under one year has passed since Suga Yoshihide became Japan’s prime minister. It was enough time for him to lose the confidence of both the public and his colleagues in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). On September 3rd he bowed out of the LDP leadership race that will take place later this month; his replacement will immediately become prime minister. Despite his flailing approval ratings, Mr Suga’s decision caught allies and critics alike by surprise.
自从菅义伟成为日本首相以来，仅仅过去了不到一年的时间。这段时间足以让他失去公众和他在执政的自民党（LDP）同事的信任。9月3日，他退出了将于本月晚些时候举行的自民党领导人竞选；他的接替者将立即成为首相。尽管的菅义伟支持率不断下降，但他的决定让盟友和批评者都感到意外。
It seems to have been precipitated by two crucial missteps in the past week—threats to reshuffle the LDP’s leadership and to dissolve the Diet ahead of schedule—that left him too isolated within the party to continue. His departure leaves the LDP leadership race—and, by extension, Japan’s political future—in flux.
这似乎是由于过去一周的两次关键性失误—威胁要重组自民党领导层和提前解散国会—导致他在党内过于孤立，无法继续执政。他的离开导致了自民党领导层的竞争—进而使日本的政治前景变得不确定。
The LDP will vote for a new president on September 29th. The winner will lead the party in lower-house elections that must be held by late November. A handful of potential contenders stand out. Kishida Fumio, a former foreign minister, had already declared his intention to run against Mr Suga. He has good relationships within the party, but limited popular support. Kono Taro, a former foreign and defence minister and the current vaccine czar, now seems likely to enter the race too. Mr Kono, who is American-educated, social-media savvy, and, at 58, on the younger side by Japanese standards, has long been a public favourite, but his reputation as a maverick puts off many in the LDP’s old guard.
自民党将于9月29日投票选举新的首相。获胜者将在11月下旬举行的下议院选举中领导该党。有几位潜在的竞争者脱颖而出。前外交部长岸田文雄已经宣布他打算与菅义伟竞选。他在党内有良好的关系，但民众的支持有限。前外交和国防部长、现任疫苗沙皇的河野太郎现在也可能参加竞选。现58岁的河野先生接受过美国的教育，精通社交媒体，按日本人的标准，他属于较年轻的一辈，长期以来一直是公众的宠儿，但他特立独行的名声让许多自民党的保守派感到反感。
