Before he got Japan's top government job officially, Yoshihide Suga, 71, was known as "a "shadow" prime minister and the right-hand man for his long-serving predecessor.

When Shinzo Abe announced last month he would resign due to ill health. His chief Cabinet secretary Suga said he would come forward to pursue Abe's unfinished work. The self-made politician was elected by Parliament on Wednesday as Japan's 63rd PM. Suga's low-key image from government briefings contrast with his behind-the-scenes work at managing bureaucrats and pushing policies.