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Fumio Kishida | KYODO
Fumio Kishida | KYODO

PRIME MINISTER

Fumio Kishida

Date of birth: July 29, 1957

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Hiroshima No. 1 (ninth term)

Japan's new prime minister helped realize the 2016 visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to atomic-bombed Hiroshima and struck the 2015 agreement with South Korea to resolve the issue of comfort women — who suffered under Japan’s military brothel system before and during World War II — while foreign minister, a tenure that lasted over four and half years.

Having been defeated last year in the previous Liberal Democratic Party presidential race by former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, 64-year-old Kishida reached out to people in rural areas and pledged to tackle economic disparities.

The third-generation lawmaker heads a major faction in the ruling party that produced four prime ministers before him.


Yasushi Kaneko | KYODO
Yasushi Kaneko | KYODO

INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER

Yasushi Kaneko

Date of birth: Feb. 27, 1961

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Kumamoto No. 4 (seventh term)

Kaneko is a former senior vice minister for the transport ministry who prioritizes revitalizing regional economies.

The 60-year-old belongs to the liberal-leaning faction of the LDP led by the new prime minister and served as acting chairperson of the Policy Research Council when it was headed by Kishida.

The minister, who hails from Kumamoto Prefecture, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000.


Yoshihisa Furukawa | KYODO
Yoshihisa Furukawa | KYODO

JUSTICE MINISTER

Yoshihisa Furukawa

Date of birth: Aug. 3, 1965

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Miyazaki No. 3 (sixth term)

Furukawa, who has taken his first Cabinet post, is known for being well-versed in finance and law.

The 56-year-old former senior vice minister of finance and big fan of veteran Japanese rock singer Eikichi Yazawa backed former vaccination minister Taro Kono, who was defeated by Kishida in the LDP leadership race. He is among the founding members of a faction led by former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who also backed Kono in the Sept. 29 election.

A former bureaucrat at the predecessor of the land ministry, Furukawa was elected to the House of Representatives on his third attempt in 2003 from a district in Miyazaki Prefecture.


Toshimitsu Motegi | KYODO
Toshimitsu Motegi | KYODO

FOREIGN MINISTER

Toshimitsu Motegi

Date of birth: Oct. 7, 1955

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Tochigi No. 5 (ninth term)

Motegi, retained as foreign minister, is known as a policy expert well-versed in economic and foreign policy, and he led Japan's efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan and Southeast Asian nations.

The 65-year-old House of Representatives lawmaker led talks to strike a bilateral trade deal with the United States and conclude the revised Trans-Pacific Partnership, an 11-member regional free trade agreement.

Motegi had a diverse career before winning a Lower House seat for the first time in 1993, with stints at trading house Marubeni Corp., at the Yomiuri Shimbun as a political news reporter and at McKinsey & Co. as a consultant.


Shunichi Suzuki | KYODO
Shunichi Suzuki | KYODO

FINANCE MINISTER

Shunichi Suzuki

Date of birth: April 13, 1953

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Iwate No. 2 (ninth term)

Suzuki is a member of the LDP's second-largest faction, which is led by his predecessor Taro Aso, who is also his brother-in-law.

The 68-year-old, the son of former Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki, has served as environment minister and twice as minister in charge of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, before chairing the LDP's decision-making General Council for a year until September 2020.

After working as a secretary for his father, Suzuki won his first House of Representatives seat in 1990 and is now in his ninth term in the Lower House. His district in Iwate Prefecture was among those hit by the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

His hobbies are playing golf and cooking.


Shinsuke Suematsu | KYODO
Shinsuke Suematsu | KYODO

EDUCATION MINISTER

Shinsuke Suematsu

Date of birth: Dec. 17, 1955

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Upper House; Hyogo (third term)

Suematsu, the new education minister, has been actively promoting accessibility within the House of Councilors to support Diet members with disabilities.

The 65-year-old previously worked as senior vice minister of transport and parliamentary vice minister of finance. As chairman of the Upper House committee on rules and administration, he had worked for a barrier-free environment to help lawmakers with disabilities belonging to the opposition party Reiwa Shinsengumi.

Prior to entering politics, the native of Hyogo Prefecture worked at All Nippon Airways Co. after studying law at Kwansei Gakuin University. He was first elected to the Upper House in 2004.


Shigeyuki Goto | KYODO
Shigeyuki Goto | KYODO

HEALTH, LABOR AND WELFARE MINISTER

Shigeyuki Goto

Date of birth: Dec. 9, 1955

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Nagano No. 4 (sixth term)

Goto, who has secured his first Cabinet post, is a former bureaucrat who is credited for his management skills.

Previously serving as acting chairman of the LDP's Policy Research Council, Goto, a 65-year-old six-term member of the House of Representatives, joined the ruling party in 2003.

Before winning his first seat in 2000 for the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan, the University of Tokyo graduate served at the Finance Ministry. While at the ministry, he studied economics at Brown University in the United States.


Genjiro Kaneko | KYODO
Genjiro Kaneko | KYODO

AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES MINISTER

Genjiro Kaneko

Date of birth: May 8, 1944

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Upper House; Nagasaki (second term)

Kaneko is a veteran lawmaker dedicated to fostering local industries in rural areas.

The 77-year-old, two-term member of the House of Councilors has 46 years of experience in politics, with past stints as a governor and a prefectural assembly member in his home prefecture of Nagasaki. He also served five terms in the House of Representatives.

Kaneko, who belongs to the faction led by Kishida, has served as chairman of the Upper House Budget Committee.


Koichi Hagiuda | KYODO
Koichi Hagiuda | KYODO

ECONOMY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY MINISTER

Koichi Hagiuda

Date of birth: Aug. 31, 1963

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Tokyo No. 24 (fifth term)

Hagiuda is known as a close aide of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The 58-year-old served as education minister under former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, leading the government's efforts to promote digitalization at schools so as to facilitate distance learning after Japan was hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

A member of the LDP's largest faction, Hagiuda has also served in posts such as deputy chief Cabinet secretary and executive acting secretary-general of the LDP.


Tetsuo Saito | KYODO
Tetsuo Saito | KYODO

LAND, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND TOURISM MINISTER

Tetsuo Saito

Date of birth: Feb. 5, 1952

Party: Komeito

Electoral district: Lower House; proportional representation (ninth term)

Saito is deputy leader of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of the LDP, and has served as environment minister and as his party's secretary-general and policy chief.

A former engineer with a doctoral degree, the 69-year-old researched space development at major construction firm Shimizu Corp. before first being elected to the House of Representatives in 1993.

Saito is expected to face a tough challenge in the general election slated for Oct. 31, when he will run as a unified candidate of the LDP-Komeito coalition in a Hiroshima district previously held by Katsuyuki Kawai, a former justice minister and LDP member who quit following a high-profile vote-buying scandal.


Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi | KYODO
Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi | KYODO

ENVIRONMENT MINISTER

Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi

Date of birth: Oct. 3, 1954

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Hyogo No. 12 (sixth term)

Yamaguchi left the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan and joined the ruling LDP in 2015.

The 67-year-old former diplomat made his way into politics after becoming acquainted with veteran opposition lawmaker Ichiro Ozawa, serving in such posts as senior vice minister of the Cabinet Office in the DPJ when it was in power between 2009 and 2012.

Yamaguchi, a native of Hyogo Prefecture, left the DPJ after it was voted out and joined an LDP faction led by former Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai.


Nobuo Kishi | KYODO
Nobuo Kishi | KYODO

DEFENSE MINISTER

Nobuo Kishi

Date of birth: April 1, 1959

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Yamaguchi No. 2 (third term)

Kishi, retained as defense minister, is former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's younger brother and grandson of another former prime minister, Nobusuke Kishi.

Kishi, 62, is versed in international and economic affairs, partly due to his 21-year career at trading company Sumitomo Corp. before entering politics. Under former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Kishi strove to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of an increasingly assertive China.

The House of Representatives lawmaker was first elected to the House of Councilors in 2004. In 2012, he successfully ran for the more powerful Lower House and is currently serving his third term representing Yamaguchi Prefecture.


Hirokazu Matsuno | KYODO
Hirokazu Matsuno | KYODO

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY

Hirokazu Matsuno

Date of birth: Sept. 13, 1962

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Chiba No. 3 (seventh term)

Mild-mannered Matsuno has spent much of his life working on education issues, as well as promoting the status of women and equal opportunities in society.

The 59-year-old former education minister belongs to the largest faction in the LDP. He is known for his close ties with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The Chiba Prefecture native was elected, on his second attempt, to the House of Representatives in 2000. He previously worked at the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management, which is known as an incubator for young people aspiring to pursue a political career.


Karen Makishima | KYODO
Karen Makishima | KYODO

DIGITAL MINISTER

Karen Makishima

Date of birth: Nov. 1, 1976

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Kanagawa No. 17 (third term)

The 44-year-old was the first female director of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Youth Division. She had called for upholding an internal party rule that says candidates under the proportional representation system in the Lower House election must not be older than 73.

The native of Kanagawa Prefecture obtained a master's degree from the graduate school of political management at George Washington University. She ran for the Lower House in 2009 in the home district of former House of Representatives speaker Yohei Kono, who retired that year and chose her as his successor. She succeeded on her second attempt.

Makishima is known as a hunting and game meat enthusiast with a trapping license.


Kosaburo Nishime | KYODO
Kosaburo Nishime | KYODO

RECONSTRUCTION MINISTER

Kosaburo Nishime

Date of birth: Aug. 7, 1954

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Okinawa No. 4 (fifth term)

Nishime, also appointed the new minister in charge of Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs, has made it his mission to work on industrial and infrastructure development in the southern island prefecture, including its remote islands.

Nishime, a 67-year-old who hails from Okinawa, has served as secretary to his father Junji Nishime, who was then Okinawa governor, and in posts such as senior vice economy minister.

First elected to the Lower House in 2003, Nishime was one of the 20 lawmakers who gave Kishida the prerequisite endorsement for his run in the LDP leadership election. He is a fan of retired Japanese pop diva Namie Amuro, also from Okinawa.


Satoshi Ninoyu | KYODO
Satoshi Ninoyu | KYODO

NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN

Satoshi Ninoyu

Date of birth: Sept. 13, 1944

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Upper House; Kyoto (third term)

Ninoyu, who has been given his first Cabinet post, is a former senior vice internal affairs minister who has worked to promote regional revitalization by making use of his experience as a long-time member of the Kyoto Municipal Assembly.

The 77-year-old indicated in June that he will not run for another term in the Upper House election next summer and retire from politics.

A native of Kyoto, Ninoyu served as a member of the city assembly from 1987 before being elected to the Upper House in 2004. He was one of the 20 lawmakers who gave Kishida the endorsement he needed to run in the LDP's leadership election.


Seiko Noda | KYODO
Seiko Noda | KYODO

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MEASURES FOR DECLINING BIRTHRATE

Seiko Noda

Date of birth: Sept. 3, 1960

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Gifu No. 1 (ninth term)

Noda, whose brief also covers gender equality issues, has made no secret about her desire to become the first female prime minister of Japan, although she failed in her attempt to beat Kishida in the most recent LDP leadership race.

Known as a strong-willed lawmaker, Noda, 61, was among the LDP lawmakers who pushed for insurance coverage of fertility treatment. She gave birth to a boy at the age 50 through in vitro fertilization using a donated egg in the United States.

A granddaughter of a former construction minister, Noda has served as minister of internal affairs and communications as well as executive acting secretary-general of the LDP, among other roles.


Daishiro Yamagiwa | KYODO
Daishiro Yamagiwa | KYODO

ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION MINISTER

Daishiro Yamagiwa

Date of birth: Sept. 12, 1968

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Kanagawa No. 18 (fifth term)

Yamagiwa worked as a veterinarian before being elected a House of Representatives member in 2003 with the LDP.

The 53-year-old now leads the government's coronavirus response along with the new health minister Shigeyuki Goto and new vaccination minister Noriko Horiuchi.

A close aide to new LDP Secretary-General Akira Amari, Yamagiwa has served as deputy minister of economy, trade and industry and acting chairman of the LDP Policy Research Council.


Takayuki Kobayashi | KYODO
Takayuki Kobayashi | KYODO

MINISTER IN CHARGE OF ECONOMIC SECURITY

Takayuki Kobayashi

Date of birth: Nov. 29, 1974

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Chiba No. 2 (third term)

Kobayashi, whose post is newly created, served as a former parliamentary vice minister of defense and helped Akira Amari, the new secretary-general of the LDP, draw up economic security policies, including those to protect advanced technology.

Before winning his first seat as a House of Representatives member in 2012, the 46-year-old worked at the Finance Ministry and served as a secretary at the Japanese Embassy in the United States. He attended the University of Tokyo and earned a master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The Chiba Prefecture native, who is one of three third-term Lower House members to have joined the Cabinet, belongs to an LDP faction led by Toshihiro Nikai, the party's longest-serving secretary general.


Noriko Horiuchi | KYODO
Noriko Horiuchi | KYODO

MINISTER IN CHARGE OF PROMOTING VACCINATIONS

Noriko Horiuchi

Date of birth: Oct. 28, 1965

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Yamanashi No. 2 (third term)

Horiuchi, who has joined the Cabinet for the first time and will also oversee Olympic-related issues, is a three-term Lower House member who has served as a senior vice minister of environment.

Horiuchi, 55, is the daughter-in-law of the late Mitsuo Horiuchi, a former international trade and industry minister who previously led the LDP faction currently headed by Kishida.

First elected as a House of Representatives member in 2012 in Yamanashi Prefecture, she was an avid tennis player in her junior high and high school days. Her husband, Koichiro Horiuchi, is the president of rail operator Fuji Kyuko Co.


Kenji Wakamiya | KYODO
Kenji Wakamiya | KYODO

WORLD EXPO MINISTER

Kenji Wakamiya

Date of birth: Sept. 2, 1961

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Tokyo No. 5 (fourth term)

Wakamiya, appointed as minister in charge of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, is known to be well-versed in security policies.

Having previously been in the posts of senior vice defense and vice foreign minister, Wakamiya is one of key members of the LDP's study group calling on Japan to develop and export a successor to the Air Self-Defense Force F-2 fighter jet.

The 60-year-old Tokyo native worked as a secretary for the late Seiji Tsutsumi, who led the now-defunct consumer services and finance conglomerate Saison Group, before he was first elected as a House of Representatives member in 2005.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world