Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reshuffled her cabinet Thursday, retaining most key ministers while bringing in a newcomer from the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), the junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
It is Takaichi’s first cabinet reshuffle since she took office last October.
According to the new lineup, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama all remained in their respective posts, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Among those entering the cabinet for the first time, House of Representatives members Kazuo Yana and Yoshihiro Seki had previously been disciplined by the LDP over a high-profile political slush fund scandal. They were named agriculture minister and education minister, respectively. This marked the first time since the scandal came to light that lawmakers disciplined by the party over the affair had received cabinet positions.
Hiroshi Nakatsuka, formerly secretary general of the JIP, was appointed minister in charge of regulatory reform, making him the first JIP member to serve as a cabinet minister. The move marked a shift from the LDP and JIP cooperating outside the cabinet to cooperation within the cabinet.
Shigeaki Koga, a former official at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said that on foreign and security policies, the JIP is even more hawkish than Takaichi and could potentially encourage the Prime Minister to pursue more hawkish policies.
Another focus of the reshuffle is the absence of former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi from the new cabinet. Hayashi was Takaichi’s rival in last year’s LDP presidential election.
Analysts said the personnel changes indicate, on the one hand, that the Takaichi administration will press ahead with its established military buildup, proactive fiscal policy, and diplomatic agenda.
The Takaichi government is set to revise Japan’s three key security documents by the end of this year, potentially including plans to acquire large numbers of unmanned systems and move toward mass production of hypersonic missiles.
On the other hand, Takaichi’s latest cabinet reshuffle is also aimed at consolidating her administration’s power base and paving the way for her to secure another term as LDP president in next autumn’s party leadership race.