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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has begun arrangements in appointing Taku Eto as the new agriculture minister and Keisuke Suzuki as the new justice minister, replacing incumbents who lost in the recent House of Representatives election, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
Eto, a former agriculture, forestry and fisheries minister, is set to succeed Yasuhiro Ozato, while Suzuki, a former state minister for foreign affairs, will replace Hideki Makihara, according to multiple sources from the government and ruling parties.
Ishiba aims to stabilize the administration by reappointing Eto, who is known as an expert in agricultural policy. In addition, the prime minister seeks to show a sense of renewal with the appointment of Suzuki, a middle-ranking member of the Liberal Democratic Party well-versed in policy matters. This will be the first stint for Suzuki in a cabinet.
The replacements will take place in line with the expected inauguration of the second Ishiba cabinet, which will be formed after the Diet’s vote on the prime minister scheduled for Nov. 11. As the current Ishiba Cabinet was established just about a month ago on Oct. 1, the prime minister basically intends to reappoint the same ministers again.
In addition to Ozato and Makihara, Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Tetsuo Saito is expected to leave the Cabinet as he is scheduled to become the head of Komeito. However, Ishiba will respect the wishes of Komeito in appointing the Saito’s successor, regarding the post as the “slot” for the LDP’s ruling coalition partner.
Eto, 64, has been elected eight times as a lower house member from Miyazaki Constituency No. 2. He entered a cabinet for the first time in 2019 as the farm minster for the Cabinet of then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The veteran is known as a core member of the Diet members well-versed in agriculture and forestry policies. He has served in posts such as a state minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries and a special adviser to the prime minister in charge of promoting the export of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products. It is expected that Ishiba is pinning hopes on Eto to steadily conduct his work and eventually achieve tangible results in agricultural policy and the revitalization of local regions, two fields the prime minister is focusing on.
Suzuki, 47, has been elected to the lower house six times. In the October lower house election, he lost in Kanagawa Constituency No. 7, but was salvaged by the proportional representation system, being elected for the Minami-Kanto bloc. He belongs to the faction led by Taro Aso.
Hailing from the Finance Ministry, Suzuki is known as a policy expert. He played a leading role in the party’s discussions for amending the Political Funds Control Law, following violations of the law by some LDP factions.
