Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new Cabinet — ostensibly reshuffled to continue his Abenomics policy push — also signals the start of a political race that could critically alter Japan's course in the near future and begs the question: Who will take the reins after Abe?
In appointing Cabinet members and Liberal Democratic Party executives, Abe has repeatedly tapped political rivals for key positions, a tactic seen as designed to silence criticism against the administration from within.
Such potential rivals include Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, former LDP Secretary-General Sadakazu Tanigaki, and Shigeru Ishiba, former minister in charge of regional revitalization.