Katsuya Okada, the Democratic Party of Japan's new leader, said Monday he will retain Yukio Edano as party secretary-general.
"He is trustworthy and has a balanced mind," Okada told reporters. He was speaking a day after winning the party's presidential election in a runoff against Goshi Hosono.
Okada said he will assign other key party posts in consultation with Edano.
As for Hosono's future, Okada said he is considering tapping the former secretary-general for the party's executive board. He added that Akira Nagatsuma, a former health minister, is another possible candidate for the executive. The three ran against each other in Sunday's election.
Okada also expressed his intention to allocate leading roles to women.