일본 오늘 '포스트 아베' 선출... 스가 관방장관 유력<br /><br />Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga, is almost certain to succeed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this week,... with voting for the ruling party's leadership set to begin in the coming hours.<br />If he wins, as expected, Suga is likely to be appointed PM on Wednesday.<br />Kim Hyo-sun reports.<br />Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, is the overwhelming favorite to become the new president of the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday,... succeeding outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.<br />He's on course to secure nearly 70 percent of the party's votes.<br />Suga enjoys a commanding lead over his two rivals,... a former Defense Minister and an LDP Policy Research Council Chairman.<br />Suga, who has been Abe's right-hand man for years,... said he will continue to consult with Abe for diplomacy,... highlighting that continuity is key.<br />"There are complex issues between China, South Korea, and other neighboring countries, but it shouldn't be a choice between one or the other. We need to strategically form relationships with these countries and communicate regularly. That's the kind of diplomacy I want."<br />He emphasized the importance of the Tokyo-Washington alliance,... describing it as crucial to establish and maintain good relationships with other Asian countries.<br />The new LDP president is almost certain to become Japan's next prime minister,... as the party holds a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives,... the important lower chamber of the Diet, or the country's parliament.<br />Voting in the LDP race is set to begin at 2 p.m. Monday,... and the Diet is scheduled to elect the new prime minister on Wednesday,... when it kicks off an extraordinary parliamentary session.<br />Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.<br /><br />
