Sri Lanka hoping to enhance relations with Japan under newly elected PM

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Sri Lanka is looking forward to working together with Japan’s newly-elected Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, says PM Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Taking to his official Twitter account this morning (16), PM Rajapaksa congratulated Yoshihide Suga on his new tenure.

A long-time aide of outgoing Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga won by a landslide on Monday to take over Liberal Democratic Party, foreign media reported.

He was elected as the new Prime Minister of Japan in a parliamentary vote on Wednesday.

Yoshihide Suga is however taking office at a critical time as Japan is hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic and an economic slump. His formal appointment is scheduled to take place today.

Suga, who hails from a family of strawberry farmers in a rural area in Akita Prefecture, is said to be a self-made politician. He has pledged to serve the interests of ordinary people and rural communities.

Japan’s longest-serving Premier Abe announced his decision to step down from the position last month, citing health reasons.