With Yoshihide Suga formally appointed as prime minister on Wednesday, all eyes will be watching to see how the newly minted leader will steer Japan.
Many will be wondering what is on the horizon for the Japanese political landscape, and if one truly wants a window into how we got here and where we are going in Japanese politics, it is necessary to look at the Cabinet appointments.
Cabinet appointments in Liberal Democratic Party-led administrations are never unilateral decisions; rather, they are the product of intra-party bargaining. As such, by looking at who ended up in what positions, we can learn much more than any speech or policy pronouncement — one simply needs to know how.