THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
July 14, 2023 at 17:11 JST
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks with reporters in Tokyo on July 11 as Sadanori Ito, an executive secretary, looks on. (Koichi Ueda)
Plagued by flagging public support ratings, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to reshuffle his Cabinet around mid-September, according to several high-ranking government sources.
The move stems in part from recent privacy problems that have stirred huge public concern over the integrity of the Individual Number Card system, popularly known as the My Number Card.
Stemming the decline in support ratings might convince Kishida to dissolve the Lower House and call a snap election this autumn.
There seems to be a limited window for a Cabinet reshuffle as the timing will be heavily affected by plans Kishida has for overseas trips in August and September.
The terms of the executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party end in September and Kishida may use that as an excuse to reshuffle the ministerial lineup.
Kishida is scheduled to visit the United States from late August as well as attend a summit meeting related to ASEAN between Sept. 4 and 7. The U.N. General Assembly session attended by national leaders is also scheduled for late September.
Government officials are also considering holding an extraordinary Diet session from late September. Having a new Cabinet in place by then would allow for a Lower House dissolution, thereby giving the new Cabinet ministers little time to embarrass themselves and Kishida with scandal or gaffes.
Kishida last reshuffled his Cabinet in August 2022. After he did so, a spate of scandals led to the resignation of four ministers in quick succession. That led in part to support ratings for the Kishida Cabinet plummeting to a record low of 31 percent in December 2022.
To prevent a recurrence, any Cabinet reshuffle might be a very limited one.
Attention will likely be focused on what happens to two individuals who have supported the Kishida Cabinet since its inception in October 2021. The two men are LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. Motegi was Kishida’s first foreign minister.
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