Photo/Illutration Toshimitsu Motegi, the secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a July 4 news conference. (Shinichi Fujiwara)

With personnel changes in the ruling party and the Cabinet on the horizon in September, attention is turning to the role of Toshimitsu Motegi, the powerful secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party.

The terms of the ruling LDP executives expire in September, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will likely use that opportunity to shake up the executive lineup and also reshuffle his Cabinet.

Motegi, 67, heads the third largest LDP faction, while Kishida’s faction is the fourth largest. LDP Vice President Taro Aso heads the second largest faction, and the three form the triumvirate that props up the Kishida administration by making key decisions about policy matters.

As such, many top officials of the LDP feel that Kishida would gain little by choosing a new secretary-general.

One of the most important duties of the LDP secretary-general is to take the highly prominent helm of national elections.

In the April by-elections, the LDP won four of the five seats contested so Motegi’s job performance will not likely be called into question.

One LDP executive said Motegi himself wants to remain in the secretary-general post because his long-term goal is to support Kishida and then take over as LDP president and become prime minister when he decides to step down.

But one concern is the flagging support ratings for the Kishida Cabinet, brought on in part by the repeated problems with the Individual Number Card system, popularly known as the My Number Card.

To boost the support ratings, Kishida might decide that fresh faces were needed in his Cabinet and place Motegi in an important post, such as finance minister. Motegi served as Kishida’s first foreign minister.

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