Shopping and sightseeing trips by Shotaro Kishida, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's eldest son, while on a recent diplomatic tour has put the spotlight on the role of policy affairs secretaries in Japan’s political world.

The younger Kishida, who serves as the prime minister's executive secretary in charge of political affairs, was reported to have used official vehicles for shopping during his father’s visit to Paris, London and Ottawa in January.

His nomination as policy affairs secretary to the Cabinet last October drew allegations of nepotism and speculation that Fumio Kishida was clearing the way for his son to succeed him in parliament, with observers being surprised by the appointment given Shotaro's lack of political experience.

After a stint at a trading company, Shotaro Kishida, 32, worked as a parliamentary assistant to his father until 2020,when he was selected as policy affairs secretary — a position with potentially strong political influence.

“As an assistant to the prime minister both on the politics and the policy side, the policy affairs secretary is a very important role,” said Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Kenji Eda, who was former policy affairs secretary to Ryutaro Hashimoto, Japan's prime minster from 1996 to 1998.

Eda said the duties of a policy affairs secretary are comparable to those of the White House chief of staff.

“I believe (the position) is even more important than a Cabinet post. Once you have gained the prime minister’s trust, you have the power to steer the administration more than a regular ministry. Even more than the chief Cabinet secretary.”

The prime minister is currently being served by two policy affairs secretaries: Aside from his son, there is former industry ministry bureaucrat Takashi Shimada. That is unusual, with the standard secretarial team for a prime minister being one policy affairs secretary and six executive secretaries seconded from other ministries (one of Fumio Kishida’s executive secretaries was dismissed over homophobic comments over the weekend).

Policy affairs secretaries assist the prime minister on a broad variety of tasks, from managing social media to arranging their agenda and liaising with third parties.

“In a nutshell, the policy affairs secretary is a coordinator," said Shinichi Nishikawa, a professor at Meiji University. "As the prime minister’s closest aide, he coordinates and manages his schedule.”

Their tasks may include planning a dinner with supporters, setting up meetings with party officials and coordinating between parliament and the ruling party, Nishikawa said.

What qualities are required to be an executive secretary? Above all, trust is a big component, Nishikawa said. “The policy affairs secretary collects information, including confidential material coming from different ministries, and shares it with the prime minister — who places their full trust in them."

It makes sense to hire someone who is more knowledgeable about the political process to assist the prime minister in his work as a politician.

The vast majority of past policy affairs secretaries had previously worked as assistants supporting the prime minister throughout their entire careers as a politician, often from local assemblies to parliament.

Isao Iijima, who worked for former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, is probably the most well-known example of this kind — a man so powerful he was dubbed the Rasputin of the Prime Minister’s Office.

In some cases, bureaucrats have occupied the position. In a country where the political world and the bureaucracy retain deeply entrenched connections, it is not uncommon for politicians to establish direct and long-lasting relationships with government officials. When those politicians attain the top job, chances are they might want a trusted bureaucrat on their side.

In fact, this was the case with Eda, a former industry ministry bureaucrat. More recently, Takaya Imai, another former industry ministry official, was former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy affairs secretary during his second tenure, after working for Abe as an executive secretary during his first stint as leader.

Imai fully embraced the political elements of his role, intervening directly in policymaking and offering his expertise to Abe in multiple areas, from foreign diplomacy to the economy.

Few such secretaries have had direct kinship with the prime minister — with the most recent example prior to the Kishidas' case being Tatsuo Fukuda serving his father, Yasuo, who was prime minister in 2007 and 2008.

Fumio Kishida's choice of his son may be a political one.

“I believe this is a clear attempt to make his eldest son his successor and raise his status. On official visits overseas, the policy affairs secretary is busy working day and night ... so there is no time to go around buying souvenirs,” Eda said. “He was able to do it only because he was not directly involved in other tasks.”

Eda remains skeptical about Shotaro Kishida’s fitness for the position and his ability to sustain his father politically.

“I don’t believe (Shotaro Kishida) can play politics or make any policy," Eda said. “By choosing a close relative for the position and making him take care of his personal affairs, Kishida wants to have someone who can help him calm down and relax in his hectic schedule. But he doesn’t need to be appointed as policy affairs secretary."

In parliamentary questioning last week, Fumio Kishida himself admitted, "From the perspective of assisting the prime minister as a politician, it makes sense to have someone who is more knowledgeable about the political process."