Fall of Japan PM Suga triggered by criticism over pandemic, failure to communicate

FILE PHOTO : Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attends a news conference on Japan's response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, at his official residence during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 30, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato/Pool/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - When Yoshihide Suga took over as Japan's prime minister last year, hopes were high that skills honed over years as a keen backroom operator, and a common touch from his rural roots, would enable him to lead his nation through the pandemic.

Instead, the virus surged back amid a rocky vaccination rollout and a series of "states of emergency" that did little to stop the spread of the more contagious Delta variant. Suga, 72, also insisted on holding the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed from last year, despite widespread public opposition.