The ministerial appointments to the new Cabinet formed Wednesday caused an array of reactions among the factions of the Liberal Democratic Party, ranging from delight to grievance.
The Cabinet comprises a team of mostly veterans, welcoming only five newcomers. One of the new faces is Reconstruction Minister Katsuei Hirasawa of the Nikai faction, who has been waiting for an opportunity to join the Cabinet for many years. The members of the faction voiced their delight, saying their "demand was granted in full." On the other hand, the Kishida faction led by former LDP Policy Research Council Chairperson Fumio Kishida, who competed with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for the party presidency, has failed to achieve its hopes and is growing increasingly dissatisfied with the choices made for the new administration.
"[Hirasawa] was not chosen because of his faction. The prime minister appointed him because of his personal merit and ability," said Toshihiro Nikai, leader of the Nikai faction, to reporters in the prime minister's office on Wednesday.
Hirasawa, despite being an experienced lawmaker who has been voted into office eight times, had not yet been appointed to the Cabinet. His inclusion this time, along with Nikai retaining his post as LDP secretary general, was among the top priorities of the faction. Fellow faction member Ryota Takeda, the former chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission, was appointed to the internal affairs and communications minister position.
Since the Nikai faction was the first to endorse the prime minister and set the tone for the Suga administration, other factions have become envious, calling the appointments "obvious rewards," or saying "[the prime minister is] paying too much attention to Nikai."
The Takeshita faction, which supported the prime minister in the presidential election along with the Nikai faction, is also pleased with the outcome. In addition to the reappointment of Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi as a key cabinet member, Katsunobu Kato was appointed chief cabinet secretary from his post as health, labor and welfare minister. Faction secretary general Taimei Yamaguchi has been appointed chairperson of the LDP election strategy committee, the first time a faction member has been assigned to one of the party's top four posts.
A senior member of the Takeshita faction said, "The chief cabinet secretary has the influence equivalent to that of two cabinet ministers. With the terms of the House of Representatives members set to expire in a year, the fact that one of our members has been selected to the post in charge of coordinating election districts is also significant."
The Aso faction also saved face by having Tsutomu Sato replace fellow member Shunichi Suzuki as LDP general council chairperson, as well as having more members included in the Cabinet than the Takeshita faction, which has the same number of lawmakers. The appointment of first-time minister Shinji Inoue, in charge of the Osaka Kansai World Expo, when there were only a few first-time Cabinet members, also contributed to its satisfaction.
Among the prime minister's supporters, the reaction of the Hosoda faction is more complicated.
The faction did not secure the posts of chief cabinet secretary and LDP secretary general, both of which are at the center of the administration, although both Hakubun Shimomura, chairperson of the LDP policy research council, and Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of economic revitalization, have remained in key positions and the number of Cabinet members has been increased from four to five. Shimomura and Nishimura have indicated their willingness to run for the party presidency in the future. Among faction members, dissatisfaction is smoldering, with one saying, "It's a defeat that the largest faction failed to take control of the government, party finances and personnel affairs.
The Kishida faction was unable to secure any of the party's top four posts after its leader Kishida was removed from his post as chairperson of the LDP policy research council and given no other appointment. A veteran party member said, "The prime minister may not have enjoyed the fact that Kishida won more votes than expected in the presidential election. After crushing [former LDP Secretary General] Shigeru Ishiba, the next step [for the prime minister] may be to destroy Kishida."
The Kishida faction retained two Cabinet posts, but the people appointed were not first-time ministers as the faction requested, but instead were reappointed. Kishida expressed disappointment, telling reporters, "The faction had hoped for new members to join the Cabinet, but that was the prime minister's decision." The prime minister had informed senior members of the other factions of candidacies for the Cabinet in advance, but Kishida was not contacted. Some faction officials have protested this lack of consultation.
The Ishiba faction also expressed its displeasure with the appointment of Norihisa Tamura as health, labor and welfare minister, with a senior faction member saying, "We were not consulted about it." As Tamura is currently serving as secretary general of the Ishiba faction, the faction is now pressed to find his replacement.
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