Japan’s Kishida shuffles Cabinet and party posts to solidify power

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has shuffled his Cabinet and key party posts to strengthen his position before a key party leadership vote next year, bringing in a new defense minister and the country’s first female foreign minister since 2004. Kishida appointed five women to the 19-member Cabinet, part of his attempt to buoy sagging support ratings for his previous male-dominated Cabinet, which had only two women. Kishida’s three-year term as the conservative governing party’s president expires in September 2024, when he is expected to seek a second term. His faction in the party is the fourth largest, so he must stay on good terms with the others to maintain his position. The new Cabinet posts were distributed to reflect that balance of power.