In his second Cabinet shake-up, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida brought in 11 first-time ministers, swapped out both the foreign and defense ministers and appointed the most women to senior billets since 2014.
At least on paper, this Cabinet reshuffle appeared to be one of the most dynamic of the past decade. But a closer look reveals that this was little more than a repackaging of the same product. The reshuffle was consistent with past Liberal Democratic Party practices and portends a continuation of status quo policies and initiatives.
For those in favor of the ruling LDP’s existing policy designs, that will probably come as good news, but perhaps not for those hoping for substantive reforms. What this means for the Kishida administration is that it is likely to enjoy a temporary bump in the polls, but that will soon level off as the realization sets in that this Cabinet is set to deliver more of the same.