Nichida appoints eldest son as Prime Minister's Political Secretary to "gain successor experience"

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] It was reported on the 4th by Mainichi Shimbun and others that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to appoint his eldest son as a political affairs secretary to the Prime Minister.

Mainichi, citing government officials, stated that the personnel appointment of Kishida's eldest son, Shotaro Kishida, would take place on this day. Shotaro, 31 years old this year, began his political activities as a secretary to the Prime Minister after working at a large corporation and following Kishida's rise to power in October last year.

A Japanese government official explained, "This is to revitalize personnel within the Prime Minister's Office and strengthen the connection with Prime Minister Kishida's parliamentary office." Kyodo News reported, "Although he has accompanied the Prime Minister on overseas trips and engaged in activities so far, it seems the purpose is to formally appoint him as a secretary so that he can gain experience as a successor to the Prime Minister."

Criticism has arisen that Prime Minister Kishida himself entered politics in 1987 as a secretary to his father and now intends to have his son follow the same path. Kishida is a third-generation hereditary politician who inherited the Hiroshima constituency from his grandfather and father. Accordingly, there are concerns that this effectively constitutes a fourth-generation hereditary succession of the parliamentary seat.

Kyodo News also reported that the only other case of a Japanese Prime Minister appointing their child as a secretary to the Prime Minister was former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, a veteran in Japanese politics.