It’s not Stalin, it’s ‘Sugalin’: Japan’s PM Suga has a new nickname mocking his authoritarian approach

The reference to the Soviet dictator is being used in political circles and on social media to mock Suga’s heavy-handedness and dismissal of dissent

He has come under criticism for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as his insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics as cases soar

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Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attends a news conference in Tokyo on January 7. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 8:00am, 12 Jan 2021Updated: 11:32pm, 12 Jan 2021

Soon after he became Japan’s prime minister in September, Yoshihide Suga attempted to shake off the image of a strait-laced functionary by referring to himself in an interview as “Gasu”, a play on the characters in his name. It didn’t work at the time, and he has instead acquired a far less flattering nickname.

It’s one whispered behind Suga’s back for fear of his retribution – but in political circles, on social media and in the bureaucracy, there is reportedly no shortage of those who refer to the prime minister as “Sugalin”, after the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

“I think there are some good reasons why people have started to call Suga that; he clearly acts in a dictatorial and authoritarian manner, and he does not tolerate dissent – or he simply ignores people who disagree with him,” said Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.

“I don’t think he reads the wind well and it appears that he is clueless as to what the public is thinking on issues such as the ‘Go To Travel’ campaign, for example,” he said, referring to the government initiative to encourage domestic holidays in a bid to boost the travel industry, but which has instead been blamed for spreading Covid-19.

Suga’s government also delayed the introduction of a state of emergency over the disease, a stance some quarters argue contributed to soaring infection rates. There are more than 290,000 cases of Covid-19 in Japan, and 3,870 related deaths.

On top of this, the prime minister is insistent the Tokyo Olympic Games will go ahead this summer, despite a clear indication that many do not share his enthusiasm. In a public-opinion poll over the weekend, 80 per cent of respondents said they thought the Olympics should be postponed again or cancelled entirely.

It’s not Stalin, it’s ‘Sugalin’: Japan’s PM Suga has a new nickname mocking his authoritarian approach

The reference to the Soviet dictator is being used in political circles and on social media to mock Suga’s heavy-handedness and dismissal of dissent He has come under criticism for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as his insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics as cases soar

The reference to the Soviet dictator is being used in political circles and on social media to mock Suga’s heavy-handedness and dismissal of dissent

He has come under criticism for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as his insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics as cases soar