Takaichi Mulls Naming Kihara Chief Cabinet Secretary, Appointing Women to Top Posts

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:39 JST, October 6, 2025

Sanae Takaichi, newly elected president of the Liberal Democratic Party, on Monday was leaning toward appointing former Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, 56, as chief cabinet secretary. She is examining who to assign to party and cabinet posts, as she will likely be elected prime minister at the extraordinary Diet session to be convened later this month.

Takaichi, who was elected Saturday to succeed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as party chief, intends to introduce new party leadership as early as Tuesday.

Kihara, 56, is known for his conservative stance and is close with Takaichi. He was a member of a now-defunct party faction led by former LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi. Motegi was one of the five candidates in the LDP presidential race, and a group of lawmakers who belonged to the Motegi faction supported Takaichi in the runoff.

As for the party leadership, Takaichi has already decided to appoint LDP General Council Chairperson Shunichi Suzuki, 72, as secretary general. Suzuki is a member of a party faction led by Taro Aso, the party’s supreme adviser, and is also Aso’s brother-in-law. The faction supported Takaichi in the runoff. Takaichi is mulling appointing Aso as the party’s vice president.

She could also appoint many women to the new cabinet and the party leadership. A plan has been floated to appoint female LDP members to chair the Policy Research Council and the Election Strategy Committee, among other key posts.

Additionally, Takaichi could name Motegi, 69, to a key cabinet post, such as foreign minister.

And she is considering giving top party and cabinet post to three more of her rivals in the presidential election — Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi.

Takaichi met with Aso for about an hour on Sunday evening at party headquarters, and they are believed to have discussed appointments. Takaichi was still at housing for House of Representatives members in Akasaka, Tokyo, on Monday morning, thinking over appointments.