18:30 New Cabinet members take office
Four new Cabinet ministers officially took their positions after receiving the endorsement of Japanese Emperor Naruhito in a ceremony at the Imperial Palace on Thursday evening.
Prime Minister Kishida then gave them their letters of appointment at his office.
Former Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa was appointed as top government spokesperson. Former Justice Minister Saito Ken is now economy and trade minister, and internal affairs minister Matsumoto Takeaki has assumed that role for the second time. Former Regional Revitalization Minister Sakamoto Tetsushi is now agriculture minister.
Kishida also replaced five state ministers and one parliamentary vice minister.
17:00 Abductee's mother reacts to Cabinet reshuffle
The mother of a Japanese woman abducted by North Korea spoke to reporters about the replacement of Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu, who also served as minister in charge of the abduction issue.
87-year-old Yokota Sakie's daughter Megumi was abducted as a teen by North Korean agents in 1977. Yokota said that she is really disappointed about Matsuno's resignation because she had trusted him.
"I want whoever takes the role of the new minister to work sincerely as the abduction issue is serious for Japan," she said.
15:00 Kishida meets Komeito head Yamaguchi
The prime minister held talks with Yamaguchi Natsuo, the head of the LDP's junior coalition partner Komeito, on Thursday afternoon.
During the meeting, Kishida explained that he will replace four Cabinet members who belong to the LDP's Abe faction. He added that he will make every effort to regain public trust.
Kishida also told Yamaguchi that he plans to appoint party executives after December 22.
In response, Yamaguchi called on Kishida to take a firm stance, saying that a "drastic fresh start" is needed in order to restore public trust.
Yamaguchi told reporters after the meeting that the public's distrust is natural. He said that those involved need to provide explanations to the public after the actual situation is revealed. He added that it is important to deal with the matter while understanding that the government will not be able to regain public trust unless it carries out reforms to prevent a recurrence.
15:00 Likely appointees speak to reporters
Sakamoto Tetsushi, a former minister in charge of regional revitalization who will be appointed as agriculture minister, spoke to reporters after meeting with Kishida at his office.
Sakamoto said that he wants to create policies to ensure stable supplies of food so that the people in Japan can put them into practice.
Former Minister of Justice Saito Ken, who will be appointed as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, spoke to reporters after meeting with Kishida.
Saito said that he can bring good communication to the new role, as many of the ministry's current senior officials are his former subordinates.
Matsumoto Takeaki, who will join the Cabinet as internal affairs and communications minister, told reporters that Kishida instructed him to make use of his accumulated experience in the administration as he served in that same post through September.
Regarding how he handled his own funds, Matsumoto said that his political organization properly dealt with all income and expenditures in accordance with the law.
13:00 NHK World's live coverage of the Cabinet reshuffle
NHK World's reporter Shimada Yukiko is outside the Prime Minister's Office with the latest live information on the Cabinet reshuffle.
Watch live: www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/live
12:30 LDP Secretary-General steps down
LDP Upper House Secretary-General Seko Hiroshige told reporters that he has tendered his resignation.
His move means all of the five leading members of the Abe faction — the so-called "quintet" of the faction — are stepping down from their posts.
11:30 Two LDP executives step down
The LDP's policy chief Hagiuda Koichi arrived at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday morning. He told reporters that he submitted his resignation to Kishida as the chairperson of the LDP's Policy Research Council.
LDP Diet affairs chief Takagi Tsuyoshi also submitted his resignation to LDP Secretary General Motegi Toshimitsu.
11:00 Matsuno announces resignations of 7 senior Cabinet staff
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu announced the resignations of seven senior Cabinet staff at a news conference on Thursday morning.
He said that State Minister of Cabinet Office Horii Manabu, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Horii Iwao, Senior Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Aoyama Shuhei, Senior Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Sakai Yasuyuki, Senior Vice-Minister of Defense Miyazawa Hiroyuki, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Finance Sato Kei, and Senior Adviser to the Minister of Defense Wada Yoshiaki have submitted their resignations.
All of them belong to the LDP's Abe faction.
Reporters asked Matsuno whether he intends to resign as a lawmaker, and he said that he is not considering it.
09:30 Suzuki submits his resignation
Japan's Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Suzuki Junji, who belongs to the LDP's Abe faction, has tendered his resignation to Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu.
Matsuno is expected to submit his resignation to the prime minister later Thursday.
Speaking to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office, Suzuki said that his resignation should not cause any delay in the national political schedule.
9:00 Miyashita, Nishimura submit resignations
Japan's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Miyashita Ichiro visited Kishida's office and submitted his resignation.
Miyashita told reporters that although he believes that his political funds were handled appropriately in accordance with the law, he was submitting his resignation from the viewpoint of avoiding any interruptions to political schedules.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi also visited the office and submitted his resignation.
He told reporters that many people have doubts about political funding, leading to distrust in politics. He apologized for causing such a situation.
Miyashita and Nishimura are both members of the Abe faction, and Nishimura has served as its secretary general. It is the largest LDP faction.
The changes come after investigations by prosecutors found that dozens of members of the LDP's largest faction received kickbacks for exceeding their sales quotas of tickets to fundraising events. Many of the members' offices are suspected of failing to declare the funds in their financial reports.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu will be replaced by former Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi will be replaced by former Justice Minister Saito Ken.
Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Suzuki Junji will be replaced by his predecessor Matsumoto Takeaki.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Miyashita Ichiro will be replaced by former Regional Revitalization Minister Sakamoto Tetsushi.
Five deputy ministers will also be replaced.
See analysis of Kishida's cabinet reshuffle in September: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/2716/
Kishida announces reshuffle
Kishida announced the reshuffle at a news conference on Wednesday.
He said it would be appropriate to make personnel changes on Thursday in order to avoid any interruptions to political schedules.
"It is extremely regrettable that the fundraising money allegations are creating a situation triggering people's doubts," Kishida said. "Political stability cannot be achieved without regaining people's confidence in politics. I will fulfill my efforts to revamp the LDP with that aim."
