(Adnkronos) – Toshimitsu Motegi in a Sanae Takaichi government. If she is given the position of Japan’s prime minister, the new LDP leader, the first woman in the role, could choose Motegi, former secretary-general of the political force, as foreign minister, and also give a role to Minoru Kihara, former defense minister who could become chief cabinet secretary. This is reported by the Kyodo agency, which cites sources informed about the developments after Saturday’s LDP primaries that saw Takaichi’s triumph. In the leadership race, Motegi, 69 years old and a protagonist of the 2019 trade agreement during Donald Trump’s first term in the White House, was among Takaichi’s opponents.
A position in the LDP or the future government could also be offered to three other protagonists of Saturday’s challenge: Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who was defeated in the runoff, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi, and former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi.
The parliamentary vote from which the name of Japan’s new prime minister will emerge is expected by the end of the month, following Shigeru Ishiba’s September step down from the LDP leadership and effectively from the government’s helm. Takaichi, Kyodo highlights, has stated her intention to broaden the ruling coalition before the parliamentary vote. The LDP, which has been in power almost continuously for decades in Japan, has lost its majority in both chambers. The session, which was thought to be convened in mid-October, might be postponed – Kyodo writes, citing its sources – because Takaichi needs time to discuss cooperation with opposition forces.
