The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday formally appointed Makoto Koga as its secretary general and Kanezo Muraoka as chairman of the Executive Council, while approving Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's decision to retain Shizuka Kamei as policy affairs chief.
The appointments were made during the LDP's Executive Council meeting in the morning.
Speaking at a news conference later in the day, Koga emphasized the importance of solidarity within the party, which was recently shaken up by a failed rebellion by former Secretary General Koichi Kato and his longtime ally Taku Yamasaki, a former LDP policy affairs chief.