Yoshihide Suga, Japan's Cabinet and leader, resigned on Monday, allowing Parliament to pick Fumio Kishida as the next prime minister, who would be charged with promptly addressing the epidemic and security concerns ahead of a national election.
Kishida took over as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party last week. Because the party and its coalition partner control both chambers of Parliament, he is guaranteed to win the parliamentary vote for prime minister later Monday. After that, he and his Cabinet will be sworn in at a royal ceremony to take Suga's place.
After witnessing his popularity plummet due to his government's handling of the epidemic and insistence on holding the Olympics. At the same time, the illness spread, Suga resigned after just one year in office.
Kishida, a former foreign minister, was known as a dovish moderate before turning aggressive to appease influential conservatives in the party. He is deeply rooted in the conservative establishment, and his win in the party election was based on a preference for stability and continuity over change.
According to Japanese media, all but two of Suga's 20 Cabinet positions would be filled, with 13 appointed to ministerial positions for the first time. The majority of the positions were given to influential groups who supported Kishida in the party election. Only three women are said to be included, compared to two in Suga's administration.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi will remain in their positions, ensuring the continuity of Japan's diplomacy and security policies as the country seeks to work closely with Washington under the bilateral security pact in the face of China's rise and rising tensions in the region, including around Taiwan.
Kishida advocates for deeper security connections between Japan and the United States and alliances with other like-minded democracies in Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom, in part, to oppose China and nuclear-armed North Korea.
Kishida will name Takayuki Kobayashi, 46, a relatively young member of Parliament, to a new Cabinet post targeted at addressing the economic dimensions of Japan's national security.
North Korea, which test-fired ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in Japan last month, is posing a rising nuclear and missile threat to Japan. Even after striking a 2015 agreement with Seoul to address a conflict over the issue of women sexually molested by Japan's military during World War II, Kishida faces deteriorating ties with fellow US ally South Korea over historical problems.
At home, he'll have to work quickly to boost his party's declining popularity, which Suga's perceived harshness has harmed on the pandemic and other topics. Kishida will likely deliver a policy statement later this week before dissolving Parliament's lower chamber in preparation for a general election in mid-November.
He'll also have to make sure Japan's healthcare systems, vaccination program, and other virus-prevention measures are in place if COVID-19 resurfaces in the winter while gradually returning social and economic activity to normal.
Last week, Kishida stated that the economy would be his primary priority. Kishida's "new capitalism" is a continuation of Abe's policy on the economy. He wants to increase more people's income and start a growth and distribution cycle.
Kishida, a third-generation politician, was elected to Parliament for the first time in 1993, representing Hiroshima, and is a proponent of nuclear disarmament. During his 2016 visit to the city, he led former President Barack Obama, who, along with Nagasaki, was destroyed in atomic bombings by the United States in the last days of World War II.
