Japanese PM reshuffles Cabinet, replacing most members

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday reshuffled his Cabinet, replacing 13 for the 19-member Cabinet, including foreign affairs, defense and economic policy ministers, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno announced.

But Kishida, 66, retained several key members, including the top government spokesman Matsuno, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki and industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura. The premier boosted the female presence in his administration, appointing former Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa, one of five women who joined the Cabinet, as Foreign Minister.

The shakeup came one year after Kishida launched the current Cabinet, for which support rates has recently been declining in various opinion polls, due to such problems as the “My Number” personal identification system.

Ahead of the official announcement, he also changed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party executive lineup. The new cabinet members will later go to the Imperial Palace for an attestation ceremony.

Source: Kuwait News Agency