Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Saturday expressed his intention to seek reelection as the Liberal Democratic Party president in a planned leadership election to be held when his term expires at the end of September.
"It's only natural that I run for [LDP] presidency when the time comes," Suga said on a Yomiuri TV program.
When asked about his Cabinet's stagnating approval rating, Suga said: "While I believe there are many reasons for this, I accept [the rating] humbly. I need to implement the promises I've made to the people and allow them to make the final call."
Regarding COVID-19 vaccinations, Suga said the government aims to complete inoculations for all who wish to receive them by sometime between October to early November, slightly pushing the target forward from his previously mentioned October to November deadline.
As of Thursday, 32% of the nation's population has received their first dose. "The number of those infected is said to begin to drop when the [vaccination] percentage reaches about 40%," Suga said.
He expressed his desire to raise the figure to "50% by the end of July."
Although local governments have raised the issue of delays in vaccine provision, the prime minister remained confident, saying, "We have secured 220 million doses" for people subject to inoculations by the end of September.
"It is true that we are in the situation in which 1.2 million doses can be administered daily," he added.
Regarding the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, Suga stressed, "Even if [the Games] will be without spectators, it is important to deliver the [event's] excitement to both the Japanese people and people all over the world."
He also said, "I think I will watch the events on TV, rather than at the venues, while giving priority to my official duties."
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