Japan’s Kishida shuffles Cabinet and party posts to solidify power

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is shuffling his Cabinet and party posts, in an apparent move to strengthen his position before a leadership vote next year. It’s the second Cabinet shuffle since Kishida took office in 2021. Kishida’s three-year term as Liberal Democratic Party president expires in a year, and he must stay on good terms with larger factions to maintain his position. His Cabinet will resign en masse Wednesday before a new lineup is announced. Several ministers in economic posts are expected to stay. But the fisheries minister who called Fukushima wastewater contaminated is expected to lose his post. Kishida later is expected to offer an economic package to tackle gas and food prices.