Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has reshuffled her Cabinet, retaining several key ministers while bringing a new member of the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) into the government, according to local media reports.
The Cabinet reshuffle, announced on Thursday, marks the first such reorganisation since Takaichi became prime minister last year and comes ahead of an extraordinary parliamentary session scheduled to begin in October.
Among the senior officials who retained their positions are Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
However, Yoshimasa Hayashi, who had served as Internal Affairs Minister, was removed from the Cabinet as part of the changes.
The reshuffle also brought a new face from the JIP, the junior coalition partner of Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Hiroshi Nakatsuka, a former secretary general of the Japan Innovation Party, was appointed minister in charge of regulatory reform.
Nakatsuka's appointment represents a notable development within the governing coalition, as he becomes the first minister drawn from the LDP's junior coalition partner.
The changes come as the Takaichi administration prepares for the next phase of its legislative programme and ahead of the extraordinary parliamentary session expected to begin in October.
Before the reshuffle was formally completed, the Cabinet met earlier on Thursday to collect resignation letters from existing ministers. The process is a customary step in Japanese Cabinet reorganisations and allows the prime minister to formally restructure the government.
Takaichi, who became Japan's first female prime minister, initially entered office with strong public support. However, opinion polling in recent months has indicated a decline from the levels recorded when her administration was first established.
According to the reports, support for Takaichi's Cabinet has remained at around 50 per cent in recent months, after initially standing at approximately 70 per cent.
The retention of several prominent ministers means that important areas of government policy, including finance, foreign affairs, defence and the coordination of Cabinet affairs, will continue under the same senior leadership.
At the same time, the inclusion of Nakatsuka gives the JIP a direct presence at ministerial level within the government, potentially strengthening the role of the junior coalition partner in the administration.
The appointment also reflects the political arrangements between the LDP and JIP, which have been working together to support the government in parliament.
Takaichi is expected to continue the Cabinet reorganisation beyond the appointment of ministers. According to local reports, she plans to appoint new senior vice ministers and parliamentary vice ministers across government ministries on Friday.
These appointments will complete another layer of the government's political leadership and give the reshuffled Cabinet its broader working structure.
The changes are taking place at an important stage for the Takaichi administration as it prepares for the October parliamentary session. The extraordinary session is expected to provide an opportunity for the government to present and advance its legislative priorities while responding to political and economic issues facing Japan.
The reshuffle consequently combines continuity and change, with several key ministers remaining in their posts while other positions are being assigned to new officeholders.
For Takaichi, the Cabinet changes provide an opportunity to adjust the composition of her government ahead of the next parliamentary session while maintaining continuity in several major policy areas.
The coming appointments of senior vice ministers and parliamentary vice ministers are expected to further clarify the structure of the reshaped administration as it prepares for the parliamentary proceedings in October.
