Newly elected Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba has announced his decision to appoint former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as the party’s vice president. The current vice president, former Prime Minister Taro Aso, will be replaced by Suga. In terms of Cabinet posts, Ishiba plans to appoint former Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya as foreign minister and bring back Gen Nakatani as defense minister. Other appointments include Toshiko Abe as education minister, Takamaro Fukuoka as health, labor and welfare minister, Yasuhiro Ozato as agriculture, forestry and fisheries minister, Keiichiro Asao as environment minister, Masaaki Taira as digital minister, Ryosei Akazawa as the minister in charge of economic revitalization, and Minoru Kiuchi as economic security minister. Ishiba is also considering Manabu Sakai and Junko Mihara for cabinet positions. Katsunobu Kato is likely to be appointed finance minister while Nobuhide Minorikawa may receive a cabinet position. There are speculations that Tetsuo Saito will remain the land, infrastructure transport and tourism minister while Itsunori Onodera may become the chairperson of the LDP Policy Research Council.
Ishiba is preparing for a general election before the end of November by dissolving the House of Representatives in mid-October. He plans to announce party executives on Monday and form a new cabinet after being nominated prime minster at an extraordinary Diet session on Tuesday. The earliest possible date for lower house dissolution would be October 9th with a general election on October 27th.
Sanae Takaichi declined an offer from Ishiba to become the LDP General Council’s chairperson after losing in a runoff against him in the presidential election. She expressed her desire for lawmakers who supported her during the race to be appointed instead.
