On the morning of September 8, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will reshuffle his cabinet and the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as early as September 13.
(09.08) Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio speaks at the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum. (Source: AFP) |
Kishida considered key appointments during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related meetings in Jakarta, Indonesia, which ended on September 7. He is expected to announce the reshuffle after the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in India next weekend.
Prime Minister Kishida's top priority in the upcoming reshuffle is to maintain stability within the party as he plans to run for re-election as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2024.
LDP Vice President Taro Aso and LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, who lead the party's second and third largest factions, respectively, are expected to remain in office. Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who heads the fourth largest faction, works closely with both politicians on policy.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno is expected to continue in his role or take on another key role. Although he belongs to a different faction within the LDP, he has been Kishida’s trusted right-hand man since the prime minister took office in October 2021. Matsuno is one of five prominent members of the LDP’s largest faction, which holds many key cabinet and party posts.
Others include LDP policy research director Hagiuda Koichi and Upper House party secretary-general Seko Hiroshige. Mr Kishida is continuing to recruit key members of the faction to secure their cooperation.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last reshuffled his cabinet in August 2022. According to a Nikkei-TV Tokyo (Japan) poll in August, the politician's cabinet's approval rating was 42%, while the disapproval rating was 50%. He is currently focusing on maintaining stability and continuity in the hope of achieving more policy achievements.
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