Suga Elected as Japan's Prime Minister... New Cabinet Formed After 7 Years and 8 Months (Comprehensive)

Elected as 99th Prime Minister with 314 of 462 votes in the House of Representatives on the 16th
New cabinet to be launched soon with announcement of new ministers... Key ministers from 'Abe Cabinet' confirmed to remain
Abe Prime Minister's younger brother appointed Defense Minister... Figure known for Yasukuni Shrine visit

Yoshihide Suga, the Liberal Democratic Party leader elected as Japan's Prime Minister on the 16th
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunwoo Lee and Hyunjin Jung] With Yoshihide Suga, elected as the president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), being elected as Japan's Prime Minister on the 16th, the "Suga Cabinet" has officially launched. This marks the first change in Japan's Prime Minister since the second Abe Shinzo administration took office in December 2012, nearly 7 years and 8 months ago.

Since the Suga Cabinet emphasizes "succession of the Abe administration," most of the new cabinet appointments are expected to retain figures from the Abe administration, and with Abe Shinzo Prime Minister's younger brother being a strong candidate for Defense Minister, it is anticipated that the revolving-door personnel controversy will intensify immediately after the launch.

According to NHK and others on the 16th (local time), the Japanese House of Representatives held a plenary session in the afternoon to conduct a new Prime Minister election following the resignation of the Abe Cabinet. Out of 462 votes, Suga, who received 314 votes, was elected as the 99th Prime Minister. In the subsequent House of Councillors (upper house) election, since the ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito holds a majority, it is almost certain that Suga will be officially appointed as Prime Minister.

After being elected Prime Minister through the nomination election, Suga plans to hold talks with his coalition partner, Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi, enter the Prime Minister's Official Residence, establish a Cabinet Formation Headquarters, and immediately begin preparations for launching the cabinet. Following this, he will receive the appointment letter from Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace, hold the Prime Minister's investiture ceremony, officially announce the launch of the Suga Cabinet that night, and release the list of new cabinet ministers. Suga will also explain the basic policies for future administration during a press conference.

The key cabinet appointments for the Suga Cabinet have already been virtually finalized. A total of 20 ministers are expected to be appointed in the new cabinet. Many key figures from the Abe Cabinet are expected to retain their positions or have Abe's close aides appointed to important posts, sparking revolving-door personnel controversies even before the inauguration.

According to Asahi Shimbun and others, 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. Additionally, appointments of eight ministers including Hiroshi Kajiyama as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Kazuyoshi Akaba as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Shinjiro Koizumi as Minister of the Environment, Yasutoshi Nishimura as Minister for Economic Revitalization, and Seiko Hashimoto as Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have been confirmed. Katsunobu Kato, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, is expected to be appointed as Chief Cabinet Secretary, the government's spokesperson and second-in-command at the Prime Minister's Office. Taro Kono will move from Defense Minister to Minister in charge of Administrative Reform, and Nobuo Kishi, an LDP member of the House of Representatives, is the leading candidate for the new Defense Minister.

Representative Kishi is Abe Prime Minister's younger brother, but 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 Japan's Pacific War and one of the founding members of the LDP. Representative Kishi is known for his far-right stance, including visiting Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 A-class war criminals are enshrined, on the 15th of last month. This raises concerns that the aggressive rearmament policies pursued by Abe Prime Minister will continue under Suga.

Other ministers who served in the Abe Cabinet and will retain their roles include Yoko Kamikawa as Minister of Justice, Norihisa Tamura as Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Hachiro Okonogi as Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, and Takuya Hirai as Minister for Digital Affairs (formerly Minister of Science and Technology). Five ministers, including Kotaro Nogami as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, will be newly appointed to the cabinet under Suga.