Japan's Takaichi reshuffles cabinet, retains key ministers and adds coalition ally

On Thursday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi carried out her inaugural cabinet reshuffle, preserving the posts of Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. Internal Affairs Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi was replaced by LDP lawmaker Hisayuki Fujii, while Hiroshi Nakatsuka, formerly of the Japan Innovation Party, became minister for regulatory, administrative reform and children’s policies, the first junior-coalition minister in the cabinet.

Eight of the 18 ministers remained, seven are newcomers and three returned, with women still limited to two posts. Takaichi emphasized the reshuffle is unrelated to next year’s LDP leadership race and is intended to maintain continuity as the government prepares for an extraordinary Diet session to debate a steep consumption-tax reduction and revise key security documents. She also pledged to accelerate a “responsible and proactive” fiscal agenda. New appointments include Yoshihiro Seki as education minister, Kazuo Yana as agriculture minister, Hiroyoshi Sasagawa as environment minister and Tatsunori Ibayashi as land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister.