TOKYO, October 1. /TASS/. Takeshi Iwaya has been appointed Japan's foreign minister, and Gen Nakatani, defense minister. The list of members of the new government formed by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was announced by Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Cabinet’s chief secretary, who has retained his post. Both Iwaya and Nakatani have experience as Japan’s defense ministers.
Former Cabinet Secretary-General Katsunobu Kato will become finance minister, while the economy, trade and industry minister, Yoji Muto, who was previously deputy head of the ministry, will become finance minister.
Japan's minister of the economy, trade and industry previously held the post of minister responsible for economic cooperation with Russia. It was introduced in 2016, when relations between the two countries were on the rise. After sanctions were imposed on Moscow, the post was preserved. Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida noted that this minister would help Japanese companies quit the Russian market. Among the additional posts of Yoji Muto, as well as other ministers, the Cabinet’s secretary-general did not mention this position. It is likely to be abolished in the new government.
In addition to Hayashi, only Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Tetsuo Saito, who represents the Komeito Party, has retained his seat.
Two women in government
The list of the other Cabinet members looks as follows:
Minister of Administrative Affairs and Communications Seiichiro Murakami;
Minister of Justice Hideki Makihara;
Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Takamaro Fukuoka;
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yasuhiro Ozato;
Minister of Environment Keiichiro Asao;
Minister of Digitalization Masaaki Taira;
Minister of Reconstruction Tadahiko Ito;
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission - Manabu Sakai;
Minister of Economic Recovery, Ryosei Akazawa;
Minister of Economic Security Minoru Kiuchi;
Minister of Regional Development, Yoshitaka Ito.
All of these politicians are men. In the Ishiba-led government, only two positions have been given to women: Children’s Policies Minister Junko Mihara, and Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Toshiko Abe.
The composition of the new government will later be approved by Emperor Naruhito.