Fumio Kishinda, 64, was elected Prime Minister today, Monday (4/10) Japan by the country’s parliament and later in the day is expected to announce the composition of its cabinet.
Kishida won the most votes in both houses of parliament after being elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last Wednesday. The outgoing government of 72-year-old Yoshihide Suga resigned this morning, as reported by APE-MPE.
Kishida will now have to work to accelerate Japan’s economic recovery while avoiding a resurgence of the covid-19 pandemic, but also tackling a tense geopolitical context with threats posed by North Korea and China.
Japan: Elections on October 31?
The former foreign minister, from 2012 to 2017 in the government of Shinzo Abe, is expected to call parliamentary elections in November at the latest. Although the PLD is in danger of losing seats, it is almost certain that it will win the election again in the face of a fragmented opposition.
According to Japanese media, the elections may take place on October 31, as the mandate of the members of the lower house of Japan expires on October 21 and the parliamentary elections should be held by November 28 at the latest. If that happens, Kishida risks not attending the G20 summit in Rome on October 30 and 31.
After all, there are already leaks in the Japanese press about the composition of the new government, which seems to have been influenced by the two big wings that dominate the PLD: the one under 67-year-old former Prime Minister Abe and the 81-year-old outgoing Finance Minister Taro Aso, who played important role in Kishinda’s victory in the second round of the by-elections. At the same time, there is continuity with the outgoing government as some of its ministers will retain their posts.
The next finance minister, Sunichi Suzuki, 68, is the son-in-law of Taro Aso. Suzuki has served as Minister of Environment and the Olympic Games and is the son of former Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki. Incumbent Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, 65, is expected to retain his post, as does Defense Minister Nobuo Kisi. Kisi, 62, is Shinzo Abe’s younger brother.
Only three women in the new government
“The Kishinda government is aiming for a balance” between the two major factions and the generations within the PLD. “It reflects Kishinda’s desire not to make enemies,” commented Zunichi Makino, an economist at SBMC Nikko Securities.
Only three women will be included in the new government of Japan, among them Seiko Noda, 61, who came fourth in the PLD by-elections. It will be responsible for combating infertility and tackling inequality between men and women.
Kishida also replaced the PLD leadership team at the end of last week. Second in the party hierarchy is now Akira Amari, 72, a former finance minister who is hostile to China.
The 60-year-old supranationalist Sanaa Takaisi, who was fourth in the by-elections and is a close ally of Abe, has taken over responsibility for the party’s strategy.
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