Statement by Kengo Sakurada, Chairman of Keizai Doyukai
on Prime Minister Abe's Resignation Announcement

August 28, 2020

Kengo Sakurada
Chairman, Keizai Doyukai

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1. We are very surprised at today's unexpected announcement of Prime Minister Abe's resignation. We have a respect for his strong leadership in domestic affairs and diplomacy during the longest period in office in Japan's history of constitutional government. To name a few, the achievements he has made are economic growth with Abenomics, the consumption tax rate hikes, a success in bidding the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, and the deployment of diplomacy that takes a panoramic perspective of the world.
2. Personally, I am deeply grateful to the prime minister for the relationship made in various events such as the Council on Investment for the Future. I am really sorry that a deterioration of his health conditions has triggered the resignation, and wish for an early recovery. In his activities as a Diet member going forward, we hope to see him make the most of his experience of the longest-serving premier in the drastically changing environment.
3. Japan must build up an economic society of the "new normal" by adequately addressing the tough challenge of overcoming the new coronavirus pandemic, as well as a heap of issues. In this regard, we expect the soonest possible launch of a new Cabinet that deserves the public mandate, after going through the elections for Liberal Democratic Party President and Prime Minister.

Japanese version