Takaichi Launches Her 2nd Cabinet with Same Members

Tokyo, Sept. 13 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi launched her second cabinet on Wednesday, maintaining all members from the first cabinet, after being re-elected prime minister earlier in the day. Takaichi’s first cabinet resigned en masse in the morning. She was later re-elected outright in the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, and in a runoff vote in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber. After her re-election, Takaichi met with Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party, her Liberal Democratic Party’s coalition partner, and reappointed all cabinet members. The new cabinet was launched after related ceremonies at the Imperial Palace. Following the LDP’s landslide victory in the Feb. 8 general election, the Diet was convened for a 150-day special session the same day. Former Justice Minister Eisuke Mori of the LDP was chosen as Lower House speaker and Keiichi Ishii of the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance as vice speaker. Takaichi became Japan’s first female prime minister last October. In the general election, the LDP secured over two-thirds of the 465 seats in the Lower House. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]