In a message on Thursday, Rouhani warmly congratulated Suga on taking office as Japan’s prime minister.

The president also paid tribute to former Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, for his “major and influential role” in promoting the relations between Tehran and Tokyo.

“The constant consultations between the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Japan, especially in 2019 on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of establishment of political ties which was marked by reciprocal visits by the heads of the two states to the capitals, have opened a new chapter in the expansion of relations in all fields of mutual interest,” Rouhani added.

He further expressed hope that the friendly relations between Iran and Japan and their mutual cooperation in various fields, particularly the economic and trade ties, would further grow during Prime Minister Suga’s tenure.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy has always been based on helping advance peace and security, respect, and mutual commitment to international undertakings and agreements. Accordingly, I hope that consultations and joint efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Japan over regional and international subjects would continue like before,” the president said.

He also wished the Japanese leader and people health, success and prosperity.

Yoshihide Suga was elected as Japan’s new prime minister by the country’s lower house of parliament on Wednesday, replacing Shinzo Abe who resigned because of poor health and promising to continue his signature economic policies.

71-year-old Suga won the leadership contest of the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Monday.

The former Chief Cabinet Secretary and Abe loyalist appointed a new cabinet shortly after he became prime minister, keeping about half of the familiar faces from his predecessor’s lineup.

Yoshihide Suga easily won the ballot, taking 377 of a total of 534 valid votes from Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and regional representatives, AFP reported.

His rivals, former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba and LDP policy Chief Fumio Kishida, trailed far behind.

Given the LDP’s legislative majority, Suga is expected to handily win a parliamentary vote Wednesday and become prime minister, taking over from Abe, who is resigning for health reasons.

A powerful government adviser and spokesman, 71-year-old Suga is seen as promising stability and a continuation of Abe’s policies.

He has specifically said his candidacy was motivated by a desire to continue the outgoing prime minister’s programmes.

Ishiba, who is popular with the Japanese public but less so within his own party, won just 68 votes, with Kishida, who was once considered Abe’s favored successor, taking 89.

Abe, who smashed records as Japan’s longest-serving prime minister before being forced to resign after a recurrence of ulcerative colitis, declined to publicly endorse any candidate.

The son of a strawberry farmer, Suga was raised in Japan’s northern Akita region, and the issues of rural areas suffering depopulation are said to be among his top concerns.

But not much is known about his personal ideology, and he is generally viewed as an adherent of neither the LDP’s most hawkish nor its more reformist wings.

As prime minister, he will face a series of tough challenges, including containing the coronavirus and righting the world’s third-biggest economy, which was in recession even before the pandemic.

Suga and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida as well as former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba will contest for the party’s top position following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s sudden announcement of resignation late last month citing ill health, Xinhua news agency reported.

The winner of the election is almost certain to become the next prime minister owing the LDP’s dominance in both chambers of Japan’s bicameral parliament. The new prime minister will be named at an extraordinary Diet session to be convened on Sept. 16.

Another survey also conducted by Kyodo News showed that Suga is the most popular choice to be the country’s next prime minister, who had the backing of 50.2 percent of those surveyed.

Meanwhile, the nationwide telephone poll found that 30.9 percent of respondents favored Ishiba, a rare critic of Abe’s administration within the party while support for Kishida stood at 8.0 percent.