Yoshihide Suga Fast Facts

Here's a look at the life of Japan's former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Birth date: December 6, 1948

Birth place: Yuzawa, Akita Prefecture, Japan

Father: Wasaburo Suga, strawberry farmer

Mother: Tatsu Suga, schoolteacher

Marriage: Mariko Suga

Children: 3 sons

Education: Hosei University, B.A. in Law, 1973

Suga is the longest-serving chief cabinet secretary in Japanese history.

Suga is a teetotaler.

1975 - Accepts a job as secretary to Hikosaburo Okonogi, a member of the House of Representatives from Yokohama.

April 1987-1996 - Yokohama City Council member.

1996 - Wins a seat in the lower house of Parliament, representing the Kanagawa 2nd district.

2001 - Deputy secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

2002 - Parliamentary vice-minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

2003 - Parliamentary vice-minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

2004 - Deputy chairman, Diet Affairs Committee, LDP.

November 2005 - Is appointed senior vice-minister for Internal Affairs and Communications under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

2006-2007 - Is appointed minister for Internal Affairs and Communications and minister for Privatization of the Postal Services in the first Shinzo Abe cabinet.

December 2006-2007 - Minister of State for Decentralization Reform is added to his portfolio.

August 2007 - Suga is replaced as minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, minister for Privatization of the Postal Services and minister of State for Decentralization Reform by Hiroya Masuda in a cabinet reshuffle.

2007 - Director-general, Election Strategy Committee, LDP.

2010 - Director, Committee on Rules and Administration, HR.

October 2011 - Chairman of the LDP Party Organization and Campaign Headquarters.

September 2012 - Executive acting secretary-general of the LDP.

December 2012 - Chief cabinet secretary minister in charge of Strengthening National Security.

September 2014 - Given the additional title of chief cabinet secretary minister in charge of Alleviating the Burden of the Bases in Okinawa.

October 2018 - Is named minister in charge of the Abductions Issue, tasked with investigating the abduction of citizens by North Korea during the 1970s and 1980s.

2018 - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travels to Tokyo and meets with Suga.

April 1, 2019 - Suga announces the name of the era of Japan's new Emperor Naruhito, Reiwa or "beautiful harmony," gaining worldwide notice and earning the nickname "Uncle Reiwa."

May 2019 - Travels to Washington, DC, to meet with Vice President Mike Pence and other senior officials.

September 14, 2020 - Suga is voted in as the new leader of the ruling LDP, securing about 70% of the votes and paving the way to become prime minister in a parliamentary vote later in the week.

September 16, 2020 - Suga is formally voted in by parliament and is sworn in by Naruhito at the Imperial Palace as Japan's new prime minister.

April 16, 2021 - US President Joe Biden hosts Suga at the White House. Suga is the first foreign leader to visit the US since President Biden took office.

September 3, 2021 - Announces he will not run in the forthcoming LDP leadership election, effectively ceding the premiership and opening the race to other candidates after a term of less than a year.

October 4, 2021 - Fumio Kishida takes office as the new prime minister.