Cabinet Reshuffle in Late September Considered

Newspapers reported that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has made up her mind to reshuffle her cabinet and board members of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in mid- or late September. Although her cabinet has not cerebrated one year anniversary, Takaishi seems to have decided it to reinforce her administration by inviting a minister from LDP’s coalition partner, Japan Innovation Party (JIP). She hopes to build a basis to reelection in LDP presidential election in the fall 2027.

 

Takaichi Cabinet made a decision in early August to introduce 1 percent of new consumption tax rate for foods in April 2027. The government is preparing a bill for the tax cut, which will be discussed in the extraordinary session of the Diet, which is expected to be convoked as early as late September. Takaichi hopes to reshuffle her cabinet and LDP board to deal with important issues such as consumption tax cut.

 

The obvious purpose of her reshuffling is to invite JIP to her Cabinet. When the LDP and JIP agreed on policies for forming a leading coalition in October 2025, JIP refrained from joining Takaichi Cabinet, embracing a skepticism about the benefit of cooperating with the LDP. Takaichi has been active in implementing the coalition agreement to keep JIP in the coalition framework. Although the coalition does not have a majority in the Upper House, she could promote her policies with help of other small parties.

 

It is supposed that Takaichi will pick one or two JIP members for her ministers to consolidate her political basis. Once a party participate in a cabinet, its members in the cabinet needs to sign every decision the prime minister makes. If the minister cannot agree with a policy, he or she needs to leave the cabinet. That is why coalition with cabinet members is stronger than the one outside the cabinet.

 

Another focus is how many possible contenders in LDP presidential election in the fall of 2027 will remain in Takaichi administration. If a minister or LDP board member hopes to run for the president, it is preferable for him or her to take distance from Takaichi, because the leaving can make political difference from Takaichi’s clearer than remaining. “I have a different policy from Takaichi’s. That is why I run for the presidential race.” That is a story that a contender against Takaichi would like to tell.

 

Takaichi has four former contenders in October 2025 election in her administration: Minister for Foreign Affairs, Toshimitsu Motegi; Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Yoshimasa Hayashi; Minister of Defense, Shinjiro Koizumi; and Chairman of LDP Policy Research Council, Takayuki Kobayashi. Although Takaichi hopes to keep them close to her, some of them may leave the administration to prepare for the election.

 

Whether she will keep LDP Secretary Ganeral, Shun-ichi Suzuki, or replace him should be another issue. Suzuki is a brother-in-law of LDP heavyweight, Taro Aso. If Takaichi still wants Aso’s support for her administration, she will let Suzuki stay. But there is a possible choice for the position, namely Executive Acting Secretary General Koichi Hagiuda, to enhance her administration.

 

Reshuffling cabinet and LDP board always affects fortune of an administration. It is worth watching whether Takaichi will successfully refresh her team to raise her approval rate. 

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