Kishida To Announce Party Execs Reshuffle Today, Unveil Cabinet Line-Up Monday

New LDP leader Fumio Kishida is expected to formally announce a rejig of party executives today before he becomes Prime Minister and unveils the line-up of his Cabinet on Monday.

• FNN reported Thursday that Kishida plans to ask Shunichi Suzuki to replace Taro Aso as Finance Minister. Suzuki is Aso's brother-in-law and previously served as Minister in charge of the Tokyo Olympic and Paraolympic Games.
• Separately, Jiji reported that Kishida would nominate Aso to become LDP Vice President. Note that the position is largely ceremonial and the most senior executive posts in the LDP (save for the President) are Secretary General, General Council Chair, Policy Research Council Chair and Election Strategy Head.
• According to Kyodo, Kishida's rival-turned-ally from the LDP leadership race Sanae Takaichi will be offered one of the four main executive posts and become the ruling party's policy chief.
• NHK reported that Tatsuo Fukuda will be named General Council Chair. Fukuda is a member of the largest Hosoda faction, where former PM Abe wields considerable influence, and leads a group of relatively inexperienced LDP lawmakers who have served up to three terms in the lower house.
• Kyodo sources noted that former Olympic Minister Toshiaki Endo will be given the post of LDP Election Strategy Head.
• As flagged before, a number of local press reports suggested that Akira Amari will become Secretary General. Amari is a close ally of the Abe-Aso tandem, together they form the influential "3A" group.
• Elsewhere, Hirokazu Matsuno, who was Education Minister in the Abe Cabinet, is expected to become Kishida's Chief Cabinet Secretary.
• Jiji reported that Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will keep his post. Motegi had backed Kishida's leadership bid and said most members of his faction voted accordingly, despite being given free choice.
• Taro Kono, who lost to Kishida in the runoff of party leadership election is set to be installed as head of the LDP's Public Relations Headquarters, which is widely seen as a demotion.
• Suggested nominations signal that Kishida will reward his supporters, while allowing the 3A group to retain strong influence over the ruling party. Several source reports suggested that their backdoor manoeuvrings played a critical role in securing Kishida's victory in the leadership election.