THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
September 13, 2023 at 15:14 JST
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida enters the prime minister’s office on Sept. 13 after appointing new executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. (Koichi Ueda)
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has appointed Yoko Kamikawa as foreign minister, one of five female members of his new Cabinet that was formed on Sept. 13.
The increase from two female ministers to five ties the record set by the Cabinet of Junichiro Koizumi in April 2001 and the second Cabinet of Shinzo Abe in September 2014.
Kamikawa, a former justice minister who belongs to the Kishida faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, replaced Yoshimasa Hayashi.
Kishida has also selected Ayuko Kato, a three-term Lower House member, as minister in charge of policies related to raising children and minister for measures to halt the declining birthrate—two key policy challenges for the administration.
Kato, 44, who formerly served as parliamentary vice minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, is a daughter of Koichi Kato, former LDP secretary-general.
Hanako Jimi, a parliamentary vice minister of Cabinet Office, has been named minister for regional revitalization, while Shinako Tsuchiya, a former state minister of health, labor and welfare, has been picked as minister for reconstruction.
Sanae Takaichi has been retained as minister in charge of economic security.
Eleven LDP lawmakers, including Kato, Jimi and Tsuchiya, have taken their first Cabinet portfolio.
Among them is Minoru Kihara, a former special adviser to the prime minister, who replaced Yasukazu Hamada as defense minister.
However, Kishida retained members in the core framework of his Cabinet, such as Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno and Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, to maintain stability.
Yasutoshi Nishimura also kept the post of industry minister, tasked with the program to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.
Taro Kono remains as minister for digital transformation and will oversee a comprehensive review of the problem-plagued My Number personal identification system.
Kono doubles as minister for digital administrative and fiscal reform, a newly created post.
The new administration will be officially inaugurated later in the day after the attestation of newly appointed ministers by Emperor Naruhito.
Kishida also announced the new lineup of LDP executives on Sept. 13.
Yuko Obuchi, a former industry minister and daughter of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, replaced Hiroshi Moriyama as chair of the Election Strategy Committee.
Moriyama was appointed as chairman of the LDP General Council.
Kishida retained Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, a potential contender for the prime minister’s post, and Koichi Hagiuda, chairman of the Policy Research Council.
Hagiuda, a close aide to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is a key figure in the 100-member Abe faction, the largest in the LDP.
Kishida aims to gain support from the Abe faction in the LDP presidential election expected in autumn next year by keeping Hagiuda in the party leadership.
Vice President Taro Aso, who has supported Kishida as a close ally, remains in his post.
Aso heads the LDP’s second-largest faction, which has 55 members, while Motegi leads the third-largest faction, with 54 members.
* * *
Lineup of new Kishida Cabinet
* Prime Minister:
Fumio Kishida, 66, Lower House, LDP
* Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications:
Junji Suzuki, 65, Lower House, LDP
* Justice Minister:
Ryuji Koizumi, 70, Lower House, LDP
* Foreign Minister:
Yoko Kamikawa, 70, Lower House, LDP
* Finance Minister:
Shunichi Suzuki, 70, Lower House, LDP
* Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology:
Masahito Moriyama, 69, Lower House, LDP
* Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare:
Keizo Takemi, 71, Upper House, LDP
* Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
Ichiro Miyashita, 65, Lower House, LDP
* Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry:
Yasutoshi Nishimura, 60, Lower House, LDP
* Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism:
Tetsuo Saito, 71, Lower House, Komeito
* Environment Minister:
Shintaro Ito, 70, Lower House, LDP
* Defense Minister:
Minoru Kihara, 54, Lower House, LDP
* Chief Cabinet Secretary:
Hirokazu Matsuno, 61, Lower House, LDP
* Minister for Digital Transformation:
Taro Kono, 60, Lower House, LDP
* Reconstruction Minister:
Shinako Tsuchiya, 71, Lower House, LDP
* National Public Safety Commission Chairman:
Yoshifumi Matsumura, 59, Upper House, LDP
* Minister for children-related policies and measures for declining birthrate:
Ayuko Kato, 44, Lower House, LDP
* Minister for Regional Revitalization:
Hanako Jimi, 47, Upper House, LDP
* Minister for economic revitalization:
Yoshitaka Shindo, 65, Lower House, LDP
* Minister for economic security:
Sanae Takaichi, 62, Lower House, LDP
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