Japan’s premier reshuffles Cabinet, replaces foreign, defense ministers

By Anadolu staff

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday reshuffled his Cabinet, replacing the foreign minister and defense minister.

Kishida also included five women as ministers in his Cabinet, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

Former Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa has been appointed as the new foreign minister while Minoru Kihara, who served as a special advisor to former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, has been appointed as defense minister.

Out of 19 ministers, he selected 11 new faces while Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura retained their positions.

In August last year, Kishida had also revamped his Cabinet following the declining government rating in surveys.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol nominated a ruling party lawmaker and former three-star general for defense minister on Wednesday in a partial Cabinet shakeup that also affected the culture and gender equality ministers.

Shin Won-sik of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) was picked to replace Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, while Yoo In-chon, special presidential adviser for culture and sports, was named the new culture minister, and Kim Haing, a former PPP interim leadership member, was tapped for the new minister of gender equality and family, presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki said during a press briefing.

The outgoing defense minister reportedly expressed his intention to resign amid the main opposition party's push to impeach him over his handling of a military investigation into a young Marine's death.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid