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Japan's Next PM: The Self-Made Son of a Farmer

William Gallo

   SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - The man who will become Japan's next prime
   minister is the son of strawberry farmers, with an unpretentious
   personality and a penchant for exceeding others' expectations of him.

   Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, on Monday easily won a
   leadership vote by members of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party
   (LDP), all but ensuring he will succeed outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo
   Abe.

   Abe, Japan's longest continuously serving prime minister, last month
   unexpectedly announced he was stepping down because of health problems.

   Though he had served as Abe's lieutenant for the past eight years, the
   71-year-old Suga was not initially seen as the top contender to replace
   him.

   Self-made politician

   Suga does not come from a political dynasty and does not belong to any
   party faction, whose bosses play a major role in determining LDP
   leaders.

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