Kishida to Assume Office as Japan's Prime Minister Tomorrow... Foreign and Defense Ministers Expected to Retain Posts

Fumio Kishida, President of Japan's Ruling Liberal Democratic Party
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Fumio Kishida, the leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a party to the 2015 Japan-South Korea Foreign Ministers' Agreement on the issue of Japanese military comfort women, will assume office as Japan's Prime Minister on the 4th.

In the leadership election held separately in the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors on the afternoon of the 4th, Kishida will be elected as the 100th Prime Minister, succeeding Yoshihide Suga, with the support of the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Komeito Party.

Kishida has decided to retain Toshimitsu Motegi as Foreign Minister and Nobuo Kishi as Defense Minister.

It is expected that there will be no immediate major changes in foreign and security policies.

Hirokazu Matsuno, former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, is reported to be the leading candidate for Chief Cabinet Secretary, the second most important position in the Prime Minister's Office, which serves as Japan's government control tower, while Junichi Suzuki, former Minister of the Environment, is likely to be appointed as Finance Minister.

Kishida, who is finalizing his appointments, is expected to confirm key cabinet members late on the afternoon of the 3rd, and the new cabinet lineup is anticipated to be announced immediately after the Prime Minister's election.

The Kishida administration will launch amid evaluations that it lacks an independent character, as Abe Shinzo's close aides occupy key cabinet and Liberal Democratic Party positions.

Kishida, who is likely to serve consecutive terms, is Abe's younger brother, and Koichi Hagiuda, Abe's close aide and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, is also expected to retain his ministerial position in the Kishida cabinet.

In the Liberal Democratic Party executive reshuffle conducted on the 1st of this month, Akira Amari, a close aide of Abe, was appointed as the party's second-in-command, Secretary-General.

San'ae Takaichi, who was actively supported by Abe during the leadership election, became the Chairperson of the Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council.

Taro Aso, Abe's staunch ally and Finance Minister as well as Deputy Prime Minister, secured the position of Deputy President of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Analysts note that the influence of the so-called '3A'?Abe, Aso, and Amari?who exerted influence over the leadership election and ultimately contributed to Kishida's victory, continues in the Kishida administration.

Kishida is classified as a moderate within the Liberal Democratic Party. Nevertheless, politicians with far-right tendencies have been appointed to important positions.

Takaichi has been Abe's comrade since her days as a second-term lawmaker, raising issues about the description of Japanese military comfort women in textbooks, while Hagiuda is a figure who demanded apologies related to the Kono Statement, in which the Japanese government officially apologized for the comfort women issue.

Matsuno, the likely Chief Cabinet Secretary, participated in historical distortion by placing opinion advertisements in regional U.S. newspapers asserting that comfort women were not sex slaves.

As the Abe administration, which lasted about 7 years and 9 months, and the Suga administration, which claimed to succeed Abe, come to an end, there were many calls for reform, but those previously involved in scandals under the former administrations have been reappointed.

Amari resigned from his position as Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization in 2016 during the Abe administration amid allegations that he received 1 million yen (approximately 10.7 million KRW) from a construction company. Although he was accused of bribery, he avoided prosecution due to insufficient evidence.

Amari was criticized for failing to properly explain the allegations but has now returned as the party's financial manager.

Similarly, Yuko Obuchi, who resigned as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry during the Abe administration due to allegations of falsifying political funding reports, was appointed as head of the Liberal Democratic Party's organizational movement headquarters, sparking controversy.

Aso, who should bear responsibility for the Ministry of Finance's document falsification scandal that occurred while covering up allegations that the Abe administration had ties with the Moritomo Gakuen private school foundation, was also appointed to a key position.

There are criticisms that Kishida lacks the will to root out corruption from previous administrations.

Kishida is expected to dissolve the National Diet on the 14th of this month, with a general election likely to be held on either the 7th or 14th of next month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.