Liberal Democratic Party President Fumio Kishida intends to include Takayuki Kobayashi and Shigeyuki Goto in his cabinet lineup, it has been learned. Neither has served as a cabinet minister before.
Kobayashi, 46, is a former parliamentary vice minister of defense and has been elected to the House of Representatives three times. Goto, 65, who served as acting chairperson of the LDP Policy Research Council, does not belong to any party faction.
In his cabinet set to be launched Monday, Kishida, 64, also intends to give a post to former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiko Noda, 61, who vied with him for the LDP presidency.
In a bid to establish a law to promote economic security that he touted during the LDP presidential election, Kishida plans to create a ministerial post to take charge of the matter, according to sources.
Kishida is expected to inaugurate his cabinet on Monday after being nominated as Japan's new prime minister at an extraordinary Diet session on the same day.
On Saturday, Kishida met with former Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Hirokazu Matsuno, 59, who is set to be appointed as chief cabinet secretary, and others at LDP headquarters to discuss personnel matters and his policy speech to be delivered on Friday.
"I want to consider the cabinet lineup thoroughly," Kishida told reporters.
Kobayashi, previously a bureaucrat of the Finance Ministry, belongs to the LDP faction led by former party Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai. Kobayashi served as chief secretariat for the Strategic Headquarters on the Creation of a New International Order, which was launched by Kishida when he was chairperson of the LDP Policy Research Council to focus on economic and security issues. This task force was chaired by Akira Amari, who is the new LDP secretary general.
Goto has been elected to the lower house six times. As acting chairperson of the LDP Policy Research Council, he negotiated with opposition parties at a liaison council for the government and the ruling and opposition parties on measures against the novel coronavirus and played a key role in compiling a draft amendment to the law on special measures against novel influenza to address the coronavirus situation. There has been a proposal to appoint him as health, labor and welfare minister.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, 62, is certain to retain his post, according to sources. Kishi is the younger brother of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. As the security environment has become increasingly severe, Kishida apparently found it necessary to maintain continuity in security policy.
Kosaburo Nishime, 67, a former state minister of economy, trade and industry, and Satoshi Ninoyu, 77, chairperson of the LDP Policy Board in the House of Councillors, who are both members of the Takeshita faction, are also expected to join the cabinet for the first time.
Arrangements are being made to give a ministerial post to former State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Daishiro Yamagiwa, 53, who belongs to the Aso faction, according to the sources.
Shunichi Suzuki, 68, a former chairperson of the LDP General Council, is certain to obtain the post of finance minister, while Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, 65, would be reappointed to the post. Kishida also intends to include Koichi Hagiuda, 58, the education minister and a member of the Hosoda faction, in his cabinet.
From his own party faction, Kishida plans to give Yasushi Kaneko, 60, a former state minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, his first ministerial post.
Meanwhile, former National Police Agency Commissioner General Shunichi Kuryu, 62, is likely to succeed Kazuhiro Sugita, who served as a deputy chief cabinet secretary for about nine years, the longest term for the post. Kuryu is known for his deep network of contacts in other government ministries and agencies due to having served in such posts as the NPA's chief secretariat.
As a secretary to the prime minister, Takashi Shimada, 61, a former vice minister of economy, trade and industry, is expected to be chosen.
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