Although Kishida is adding 11 new faces to the Cabinet, he left many leading LDP executives in place.
Keep your friends close, and your rivals closer
Masuda says Kishida wants to solidify support within the LDP's six factions before the party's next presidential election in the fall of 2024.
Key party posts — the vice president, secretary general and policy chief — are currently held by three factions. Masuda says because Kishida's faction is the fourth largest, support from the others will be crucial to his reelection.
Masuda says Kishida is also retaining Cabinet ministers who are potential rivals in the upcoming election. Kishida wants to make it more difficult for them to criticize his administration and possibly run against him.
Adding women to boost popularity
Out of 19 ministers, five are women. Masuda says Kishida has added them to increase his Cabinet's approval rating, which sank to a record low in August. Masuda says that as Japanese society evolves, voters increasingly expect to see more female politicians in leadership positions.
He also says that by appointing a woman as foreign minister — the face of Japan's diplomacy — Kishida is signaling that he wants women to assume key roles.
Kishida also appointed a woman as chair of the LDP's Election Strategy Committee. Obuchi Yuko, the daughter of a former prime minister, is well known.
Masuda says he doesn't expect a major change in Kishida's approval rating anytime soon. He and many other observers believe the overall shuffle doesn't go far enough.
Still, Masuda says Kishida may call an election this year if his approval rating drastically improves.
The Lower House's current term will reach its halfway mark next month.
