Japan may soon replace its Defense and Foreign Ministers.

Thủ tướng Nhật Fumio Kishida có thể thay bộ trưởng quốc phòng, ngoại giao vào ngày 13.9 - Ảnh 1. — Former Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa May Become Japan's Foreign Minister

Kyodo News on September 12 quoted sources as saying that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to appoint former Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa as Foreign Minister, aiming to increase the proportion of female leaders in a move believed to be aimed at attracting support.

In the cabinet reshuffle scheduled to be announced on September 13, Prime Minister Kishida also plans to appoint Minoru Kihara, special advisor to former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, as Defense Minister, along with 10 other new faces.

The current Minister of Defense is Mr. Yasukazu Hamada and the Minister of Foreign Affairs is Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi.

In order to ensure the stability of the government, he decided to reappoint a number of key ministers, including Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi.

The number of female ministers is expected to reach a record five, including third-term lower house member Ayuko Kato, who is set to be appointed minister in charge of child policy. This is the same number as the number of female cabinet members in the 2001 and 2014 cabinet of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

In addition, Prime Minister Kishida is expected to change the leadership positions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which he heads, but will keep Toshimitsu Motegi as Secretary General, the second position in the party.

Yuko Obuchi, the 49-year-old daughter of the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, is expected to head the election campaign, seemingly aimed at refreshing the image of the party leadership.

Prime Minister Kishida took office in October 2021. He hopes the cabinet reshuffle will help him shore up support, which has been hit by public concerns over high inflation and issues with leaks of personal information and registration errors in the identification card system.

Winning support will be crucial if Mr. Kishida decides to dissolve the lower house for early elections. The current four-year terms of lower house members expire in October 2025.

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