Tokyo, 12 September, /AJMEDIA/
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will reshuffle his Cabinet on Wednesday, but as the most prominent positions are unlikely to change, the event is shaping up to be one of the least interesting reshuffles in recent memory.
Cabinet and party leadership changes are often used by prime ministers to signal a pivot in policy direction or to shore up their sagging popularity by appointing younger, fresher faces to new posts. But instead of a major overhaul, Kishida seems to have chosen only a minor tinkering with his political machine, with many powerful Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) veterans expected to stay where they are or receive senior posts as the prime minister instead prioritizes internal party politics over worries about public popularity.
Japanese media reports Tuesday indicated trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki will keep their posts.
