TOKYO ー Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday he would continue with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policies known as "Abenomics" as he formally announced his candidacy in the election to succeed him as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Suga, 71, who has steered policy for nearly eight years as Abe's right-hand man, has emerged as the front-runner in the Sept. 14 election having secured wide support among the factions of LDP lawmakers.
During a press conference, Suga said he would do all he could to resolve the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, including meeting with its leader Kim Jong Un without setting conditions, while working on other issues including amending the country's pacifist Constitution.
Related coverage:
Japan's LDP to hold election on Sept 14 to pick PM Abe's successor
Suga front-runner in LDP race as grassroots members excluded from vote
FOCUS: Abe's departure with mixed economic results to test market confidence
