For Preserving Administration

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his Cabinet and 2nd Reshuffled Cabinet of 2nd Kishida Administration started on Wednesday. While the reshuffle of cabinet would ordinarily be made for fixing problems or tackling on difficult issues with new members, Kishida focused on not changing basic structure of his administration by reassigning most key persons in the Cabinet and the leaders of Liberal Democratic Party. It must be that he thought that it was necessary for him to be reelected in the presidential election of LDP a year later. 

The most outstanding point in the reshuffle for the most newspapers was picking Yuko Obuchi, former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, for the chair of LDP Election Strategy Committee. The post is regarded as one of the four pillars of LDP Board. For Kishida, deterring LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi from running for the presidential election is the most critical for him to be reelected. Obuchi is affiliated to Motegi Group in LDP. Kishida seems to have expected Obuchi to be a rival of Motegi in the group, before Motegi becomes his rival in the election.

 

The reassignment of LDP Vice-President Taro Aso, Aso Group, Chairman of Policy research Council Koichi Hagiuda, Abe group, and assigning Hiroshi Moriyama, Moriyama Group, should be for balancing the power inside LDP. If one intends to run for the presidential election before the president’s resignation, it will generally mean a nonconfidence against the leader. As long as Kishida seeks to be reelected, it would become a difficult choice for the board members to run. That’s why Kishida put his possible rivals close to him.

 

The same can be said about the reassignment of Minister for Digital Transformation Taro Kono and Minister for Economic Security Sanae Takaichi, who were Kishida’s contenders in the presidential election in 2021. Including five women in his cabinet, as many as the past record, must be a strategy for raising the supporting rate for the administration. The most important concept for Kishida, who stands on a delicate balance of power in the leading parties, is building a stable administration for his survival.

 

It is unclear whether Kishida is successful in enhancing his administration’s capability for dealing with difficult policies it faces. While Japan faces complicated negotiation on War of Ukraine as the chair of Group of Seven or China’s accusation against discharging processed water from Fukushima, new Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa is not a figure that is recognized as experienced in diplomacy. Minister for Children’s Policy Ayuko Kato, who is in charge of an agenda Kishida is extremely involved in, is a freshwoman as a Minister. Obuchi is criticized as not having been explained enough about her past money scandal. No positive element for raising the public supporting rate for Kishida is seen so far.

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