Japan's 'Suga Cabinet' Officially Launches Today... Most Abe Cabinet Ministers Retained

Deputy Prime Minister and Key Ministers Remain Same in Abe Cabinet
Abe Prime Minister's Younger Brother as Defense Minister... Yasukuni Shrine Visiting Figure

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The 'Suga Cabinet,' led by former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who was elected as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president, will officially launch on the 16th. However, most of the cabinet appointments are expected to retain figures from the Abe administration, and with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's younger brother likely to be appointed as Defense Minister, controversy over revolving-door personnel is expected to intensify immediately after the launch.

According to Japanese local media such as NHK on the 16th (local time), the Japanese parliament will hold an inaugural session and elect LDP President Suga as the 99th Prime Minister through a prime ministerial election. The ruling LDP and coalition partner Komeito hold a majority in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, so Suga's appointment as Prime Minister is confirmed. After being appointed through the election, Suga is expected to hold talks with Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi, his coalition partner, and announce the list of new cabinet ministers. Following this, after receiving the appointment letter from Emperor Naruhito in a formal investiture ceremony, the new Suga Cabinet will be officially inaugurated.

However, controversy over revolving-door personnel has arisen even before the inauguration, as key figures from the Abe Cabinet are expected to retain their positions or Abe's close aides are likely to be appointed to key posts in the Suga Cabinet. According to Japanese local media such as Asahi Shimbun, many major ministers from the Abe administration, including Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Koichi Hagiuda, are expected to remain in their posts.

Katsunobu Kato, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, is expected to be appointed as Chief Cabinet Secretary, the government's spokesperson and the second-in-command at the Prime Minister's Office. Taro Kono is expected to move from Defense Minister to Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, and Nobuo Kishi, an LDP member of the House of Representatives, is likely to be appointed as the new Defense Minister. Kishi is Prime Minister Abe's younger brother, who was adopted into his maternal family at birth and thus uses a different surname from Abe. He was raised under former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, an A-class war criminal during the Pacific War and one of the founding members of the LDP. Kishi is known for his far-right stance, having visited Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 A-class war criminals are enshrined, on the 15th of last month. There are concerns that the aggressive remilitarization policies promoted by Prime Minister Abe will continue under the new administration.