Decision at the Temporary General Meeting on the 15th... Key Positions Likely Distributed to 5 Supporting Factions
Ministerial Appointments Expected After Prime Minister Election on the 16th... Aso and Motegi Expected to Retain Positions
Yoshihide Suga elected as the new president of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party [Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyeon-jin] Yoshihide Suga, the new president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), will make personnel changes among LDP executives as his first move after taking office. The party's four key positions (Secretary-General, Chairman of the Policy Research Council, Chairman of the General Council, and Election Strategy Committee Chairman) will be evenly appointed from various factions, with key posts such as Secretary-General being retained.
According to NHK and other sources on the 15th, President Suga will decide on LDP executive personnel through an extraordinary party meeting held that day. Among the heads of major factions, Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, who supported Suga when he was Chief Cabinet Secretary and acted as a "kingmaker," and Hiroshi Moriyama, Chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee, were effectively retained. It is reported that Suga expressed this position at the party executive meeting and the General Council immediately after his election the previous day.
Toshihiro Nikai, who leads the Nikai faction (47 members), the fourth largest faction in the LDP, holds the record as the longest-serving Secretary-General in LDP history. The Secretary-General, the party's second-in-command, is a key position responsible for party personnel appointments, financial management, and election nominations. On the 7th, Suga stated, "(Nikai) Secretary-General firmly organizes the party, so he is a very reliable figure," showing strong trust. At a press conference immediately after his election, he also mentioned Secretary-General Nikai and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso as "two important figures in government administration."
For the successor to Fumio Kishida as Chairman of the Policy Research Council, Hakubun Shimomura, head of the election strategy headquarters of the largest LDP faction, the Hosoda faction (98 members), is expected to be appointed. Tsutomu Sato, a former Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications belonging to the Aso faction (54 members), is likely to be appointed as Chairman of the General Council. Additionally, Daimei Yamaguchi, head of the organizational movement headquarters of the Takeshita faction (54 members), is expected to be appointed as Chairman of the Election Strategy Committee. Seiko Noda, a former Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications without faction affiliation, is reportedly to be appointed as acting Secretary-General.
Foreign media in Japan explained, "President Suga has appointed one person from each of the five factions that supported him." The Mainichi Shimbun reported, "For President Suga, who won a landslide victory, the next issue will be personnel appointments for party positions and cabinet ministers, which is the first hurdle," adding, "The five factions that supported him are demanding personnel rewards, and if these demands are not accepted, they are even showing signs of rebellion."
Since President Suga has declared that he will inherit the policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, most of the key personnel in the newly formed cabinet are expected to be retained. After being nominated as Prime Minister through the election at the extraordinary Diet session convened on the 16th, President Suga plans to immediately launch the new cabinet.
As President Suga mentioned directly at a press conference, some ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Aso, are expected to be retained in the cabinet. The Asahi Shimbun analyzed, "The decision to keep Deputy Prime Minister Aso, who has supported the Abe administration, as a key minister is aimed at stabilizing the administration." There is strong speculation that Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto will also retain their posts in the next cabinet. Regarding the Chief Cabinet Secretary, who will be the core of the cabinet appointments, NHK reported that personnel appointments are being promoted centered on former Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries who worked with Suga during the Abe administration.
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