Following Yoshihide Suga’s appointment as new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party on Monday, Kansai’s political and business industries voiced their support, according to reports in the Nikkei.
Masayoshi Matsumoto, Chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation, said, “The result reflects expectations for stability and the political skills that supported the Abe administration.
“[The administration] has been deeply involved in big projects in Kansai such as the Osaka/Kansai Expo and integrated resorts (IR), so this is reassuring for the Kansai business community.”
In addition, Ken Furuichi, the secretary-general of the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, said, “I have high expectations for Suga, as someone who represents a rural area, to make efforts to correct the overconcentration in Tokyo.”
Regarding the Kansai economy, which is highly dependent on inbound tourists, he said, “I would like to clarify the path toward recovery and seek strong support for the success of the Expo in the future.”
Suga and the Osaka Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) – of which Osaka Prefecture Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura is a member – enjoy a strong relationship with Yoshimura stating, “I want to aim for growth in collaboration with Osaka and the central government.”
In addition, Governor Yoshinobu Nisaka of Wakayama Prefecture, who is promoting their IR project, expressed his expectations that Suga “will move forward” with the delayed publication of Japan’s Basic Policy on IRs.
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