Japan PM Sanae Takaichi to prioritise continuity in Cabinet reshuffle

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi looks set to prioritise continuity in a coming Cabinet reshuffle, with key posts remaining unchanged as she enters the second year of her premiership. Key ministers including Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi are likely to retain their posts, according to reports by the Asahi, Mainichi, and Nikkei dailies. Takaichi is looking to shuffle her Cabinet line-up, possibly sometime in September, in a bid to solidify her power within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.The timing of the reshuffle comes at a midway point between her ascent to the premiership last October and the expiration of her term as LDP leader in September 2027.As defence minister, Koizumi will be tasked with laying the groundwork to revamp Japan’s defence strategy, with spending plans set to be released later in 2026.The US is also pressuring its allies to boost defence spending and rely less on the US for their security needs.For Japan, which already has a massive debt pile and is poised to introduce a temporary tax cut on food items from April, finding a way to pay for defence is going to be a delicate balancing act.With Takaichi apparently favouring continuity in key policy posts, attention is likely to focus on whether she brings senior members of the Japan Innovation Party into the Cabinet and how she handles potential rivals in 2027’s LDP leadership race.The JIP declined to join the Cabinet after helping Takaichi take power last October, when the collapse of the LDP’s coalition with Komeito left her short of the votes needed to become premier.An alliance with the JIP provided the necessary support.“If there’s a formal request from Prime Minister Takaichi for us to join the cabinet, we will be on board with that,” JIP co-leader Hirofumi Yoshimura said in late August.He declined to specify what post the JIP would seek, saying that would be based on discussions with the prime minister. BLOOMBERG