December 6, 1948
Born in Akinomiya Village, Ogachi-gun (currently Yuzawa City), Akita Prefecture
Born the Son of a Strawberry Farmer
SUGA Yoshihide was born the eldest son of a strawberry farmer in Yuzawa, a town in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. The region lies under snow for four months of the year, but is rich in natural beauty with forests of fine Akita cedar.
1966
Graduated from Akita Prefectural Yuzawa High School
Student Days Filled with Karate
Suga moved to Tokyo after high school and worked at a factory to save up for tuition and then entered university. During his student days he trained in karate. Hard work and the discipline of karate are the foundations upon which he built his career as a politician.
1973
Graduated from the Faculty of Law, Hosei University (in Tokyo)
1987
Elected to the Yokohama City Council, serving two terms
1996
Won his first election to the House of Representatives
Political Career
Suga served two terms on the Yokohama City Council before being elected to the National Diet in 1996 (photo). As Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, he led the establishment of a hometown tax system that provides a deduction for taxpayers who make donation to the local government of their choice. He was the longest serving Chief Cabinet Secretary (from 2012 to 2020) in Japanese history, holding press conferences twice a day, almost every day, which totaled more than 3,200 occasions during his tenure.
2002
Named Parliamentary Secretary for Land, Infrastructure and Transport
2003
Named Parliamentary Secretary for Economy, Trade and Industry
2006
Named Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications,
Minister in charge of Privatization of the Postal Services, and
Minister of State for Decentralization Reform
2012
Named Chief Cabinet Secretary and Minister in charge of Strengthening National Security
2014
Named Chief Cabinet Secretary and Minister in charge of Mitigating the Impact of U.S. Forces in Okinawa
2018
Named Chief Cabinet Secretary,
Minister in charge of Mitigating the Impact of U.S. Forces in Okinawa, and
Minister in charge of the Abduction Issue
April 1, 2019
Announced the name of the new imperial era “Reiwa” as Chief Cabinet Secretary
September 16, 2020
Becomes 99th Prime Minister of Japan
Loves Morning Walks and Sweets
No matter how busy he may be on a given day, Suga has made a routine of taking early-morning walks to clear his head. He is not a drinker but has a sweet tooth, enjoying Japanese confectionery made from red bean paste, or Western-style pancakes, which he particularly loves.
