Nichidai Kishida, Cabinet Reshuffle Possible as Early as 13th... Aso and Motegi Likely to Retain Positions

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to carry out a cabinet reshuffle and appoint members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as early as the 13th.

Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan / Photo by Yonhap News

Kyodo News and Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported on the 7th that Prime Minister Kishida is expected to express his thoughts on the cabinet reshuffle and LDP appointments through a press conference after attending the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in India on the 9th and 10th.

In this regard, it is highly likely that Taro Aso, the LDP Vice President who leads the party's second-largest faction, and Toshimitsu Motegi, the Secretary-General of the LDP and head of the third-largest faction, will remain in their positions. It is anticipated that the Kishida faction, the fourth-largest faction of the LDP, will continue to support the administration alongside the Aso and Motegi factions.

Kyodo News stated, "Prime Minister Kishida is aiming for re-election in the LDP presidential election next fall," adding, "There is a growing judgment that Vice President Aso and Secretary-General Motegi, who form the backbone of the administration, are necessary."

Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary of the Abe faction, the largest faction of the LDP, Koichi Hagiuda, Chairman of the LDP Policy Research Council, and Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, are expected to continue serving as LDP executives or cabinet ministers.

Nikkei mentioned that the approval rating of the Kishida Cabinet is not high and analyzed, "In a situation where there are no positive factors for the administration, it appears that the focus is on stabilizing the administration and maintaining policy continuity while steadily building achievements."

However, Prime Minister Kishida, who is visiting Jakarta, Indonesia, to attend the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit, responded to questions about the cabinet reshuffle by saying, "The schedule has not been finalized. I will consider the personnel changes while taking the schedule into account."