Japan's Suga elected as country's first new PM in eight years

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga enters prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan September 16, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Yoshihide Suga was elected as Japan's prime minister on Wednesday, becoming the country's first new leader in nearly eight years and facing a raft of challenges including reviving an economy battered by the COVID-19 crisis.

Suga, who served as chief cabinet secretary to outgoing premier Shinzo Abe, was voted in by the lower house of parliament where his ruling Liberal Democratic Party holds a majority.