Japan PM Sanae Takaichi to prioritise continuity in Cabinet reshuffle
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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is looking to shuffle her Cabinet line-up in a bid to solidify her power within the LDP.
PHOTO: AFP
- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to keep key Cabinet ministers in place to ensure continuity as she enters her second year in office.
- Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi will prepare for a defence strategy overhaul amid US pressure for allies to increase spending.
- Takaichi may include Japan Innovation Party members in the Cabinet to strengthen her position ahead of the 2027 Liberal Democratic Party leadership race.
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TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi looks set to prioritise continuity in a coming Cabinet reshuffle, with key posts remaining unchanged as she enters the second year of her premiership.
Key ministers including Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi are likely to retain their posts, according to reports by Japan’s Asahi, Mainichi and Nikkei dailies.
Takaichi is looking to shuffle her Cabinet line-up, possibly some time in September, in a bid to solidify her power within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The timing of the reshuffle comes at a midway point between her ascent to the premiership in October 2025 and the expiration of her term as LDP leader in September 2027.
As defence minister, Koizumi will be tasked with laying the groundwork to revamp Japan’s defence strategy, with spending plans set to be released later in 2026.
The US is also pressuring its allies to boost defence spending and rely less on Washington for their security needs.
For Japan, which already has a massive debt pile and is poised to introduce a temporary tax cut on food items from April 2027, finding a way to pay for defence is going to be a delicate balancing act.
With Takaichi apparently favouring continuity in key policy posts, attention is likely to focus on whether the Prime Minister brings senior members of the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) into the Cabinet, and how she handles potential rivals in the LDP leadership race in 2027.
The JIP had declined to join the Cabinet after helping Takaichi take power in October 2025, when the collapse of the LDP’s coalition with Komeito left her short of the votes needed to become prime minister.
An alliance with the JIP provided the necessary support.
“If there’s a formal request from Prime Minister Takaichi for us to join the Cabinet, we will be on board with that,” JIP co-leader Hirofumi Yoshimura said in late August.
He declined to specify what post his party would seek, saying that that would be based on discussions with the Prime Minister. BLOOMBERG
