The government's response to the new coronavirus is changing the dynamics of the Prime Minister's Office. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who previously took all responsibility for crisis management, has gradually lost his presence as Abe has repeatedly made top-down decisions backed by two aides.
Takaya Imai, special adviser to the prime minister, and Shigeru Kitamura, secretary general of the National Security Secretariat, play key roles in the prime minister's political decisions.
Both Imai, a former METI bureaucrat, and Kitamura, a former National Police Agency official, have been central to "Team Abe" since they served as secretaries to the prime minister in his first Cabinet. In the second Cabinet, Imai was appointed secretary in charge of political affairs, while Kitamura was appointed Cabinet Intelligence Director, tasked with gathering sensitive information both at home and abroad. Thus, they supported the prime minister behind the scenes.
It was in September last year that the two became more important in the Prime Minister's Office. Imai doubled as special adviser to the prime minister, and Kitamura was promoted to secretary general of the National Security Secretariat.
In crises such as North Korea's missile launches and large-scale natural disasters, Suga and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita, a former National Police Agency official, have skillfully coordinated ministries and agencies as part of the "leadership of the kantei [Prime Minister's Office]."
However, after the government's basic policy on the coronavirus announced on Feb. 25 was criticized for being insufficient in asking people to refrain from participating in events and to close schools, the prime minister decided to take a top-down approach.
The "prime minister-led initiative" supported by Imai and Kitamura has not been able to lay the groundwork for making political decisions. Nevertheless, the prime minister told his aides: "In an emergency, you have to make decisions on the run. We have no option but to put off coordination and system design. Japan's current policies are correct."
Gaps emerge between Abe, Suga
Some observers point to a gap between Suga and Abe. When Suga announced the new era name in April last year, he was hailed as "Uncle Reiwa" and quickly emerged as a possible post-Abe leader. There have been rumors among LDP executives that he has approached LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai and former LDP Secretary General Makoto Koga, who has been critical of the prime minister. A senior LDP official said, "The prime minister must be resentful of Suga."
But in October last year, Isshu Sugawara and Katsuyuki Kawai, who were close to Suga, were forced to resign as economy, trade and industry minister and justice minister, respectively. In February, the prime minister issued a warning to Hiroto Izumi, a special adviser to Abe and one of Suga's right-hand men, after it was discovered he had used a hotel room with a door connecting it to the room of Hiroko Otsubo, a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry official who accompanied him on a business trip.
Moreover, there is a gap between Abe and Suga in their expectations regarding the post-Abe era. While the prime minister does not hide his hopes for LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Fumio Kishida to succeed him, Suga has been critical of Kishida, saying, "He cannot be a front man in elections." For the party leadership election next autumn, "Suga would endorse Defense Minister Taro Kono and is likely to split with the prime minister," said a former cabinet member.
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