Japanese prime minister reshuffles cabinet, appoints new defense and foreign ministers

Asia-Pacific, News September 14, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has made some major changes to his 19-member cabinet as he appointed a new foreign minister and defense minister. The appointments before a key party leadership vote next year.

The reshuffle of Japan’s governing body has introduced 11 new faces in the country’s ruling cabinet, with a spotlight on five female ministers. Appointment of the women ministers is a part of Kishida’s attempt to buoy the sagging support for his previous male-dominated cabinet, which had only two women ministers.

“This is a cabinet that finds its strength in change. I have appointed ministers who are people of action to execute the three pillars of economic, social, and diplomatic policies,” Kishida said at a news conference after he announced the new cabinet.

This is the second time that Kishida has reshuffled his cabinet since October 2021. Before his three-year term as the conservative Liberal Democratic Party’s president expires in September 2024, this might be the last reshuffling of the cabinet during his current tenure.

The new cabinet and especially the newly appointed defense and foreign ministers face the task of navigating ties with China that have soured exponentially in recent times after Japan began releasing radioactive water from its wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant in the Pacific Ocean. China is the most vocal among its neighbors against Japan’s controversial move.

Japan's new Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa — *^{Japan’s new Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa arrives in formal attire to attend an attestation ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan, on September 13, 2023. (Image Credit: Reuters)}*

The new foreign minister is Yoko Kamikawa, a former justice minister who oversaw the execution of key members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult responsible for the deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995. She is Japan’s first female foreign minister since 2002.

Kamikawa, who has a master’s degree from Harvard University, boasts an extensive educational and professional background in the U.S. Through her appointment as Tokyo’s top diplomat, Kishida seeks to ensure smooth ties with the United States. Kamikawa is replacing Yoshimasa Hayashi, who has been holding the office since November 2021.

As for the country’s defense minister, Kishida appointed Minoru Kihara, who had been serving on the governing Liberal Democratic Party’s national security committee. Kihara is replacing Yasukazu Hamada, Japan’s former defense minister who initiated the country’s recent military modernization campaign.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with his new cabinet — *^{Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida poses with his new cabinet at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on September 13, 2023. (Image Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi/via Reuters)}*

Observers believe that Kihara’s appointment is also a strategic one. Being a pro-Taiwan politician in Japan, Kihara has visited the self-governed island in the past and belongs to a Japan-Taiwan interparliamentary group. His appointment as the country’s defense minister comes at a time when Japan is moving from its pacifist security policy to a more aggressive one.

Experts believe that the choice of Kihara as defense minister is not necessarily an anti-China move, but indicates Tokyo’s closeness with Taiwan and its important role in the regional geopolitical landscape.