The Abe government organized his ministers for the second time in the fourth round of the administration and reassigned the ruling party’s leaders on September 11. Close associates were chosen and their term spans till September, 2021, during which the government will commit in amendment of the constitution and respond to changing world situations, facing domestic contradictions. The new administration will consolidate its governance. A scheduled extraordinary session of the Diet will be the first stage for debates.

RIGHT WINGERS AND CLOSE ASSOCIATES COOPERATE FOR CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT

Right-hand men commit in public service policies

Mr. Aso Taro, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and Mr. Suga Yoshihide, Chief Cabinet Secretary, remain in the same seats, while other ministers were reshuffled. Ex-foreign minister Kono Taro, who has won high evaluation from Premier Abe for his hard attitudes to the government of Republic of Korea (ROK), was appointed as Minister of Defense and ex-Minister of Economic Rehabilitation Motegi Toshimitsu was shifted to Minister of Foreign Affairs, who has produced ‘good results’ in the trade negotiation with the United States. The arrangement tells readiness to defeat the Moon government of ROK, strengthening pressure.

Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Kato Katsunobu and Minister of Economic Rehabilitation and Public Service Reform Nishimura Yasutoshi are right-hand men of Premier Abe and they have served as deputy chief Cabinet Secretary. The two ministers will commit in a big job of the Abe government, reductions of allowances for public services, and they will be in charge of the Public Service Reform Council (it will be set up by the end of September).

The Council is chaired by Premier and its prime task is to reform the pension and the elderly care plans. It will encourage employment of senior citizens, increase fees for users of care services and shift administrative jobs to municipalities in terms of users of services in the categories, Care Levels 1 and 2. The council will present relevant bills to the coming ordinary Diet sessions next year.   

Minister Kato is a politician who keenly clung to the bill to authorize free sacking of workers with money, and he attempts to present again the said bill next year. Minister of Education, Science and Sports Ogiuda Koichi and Minister in charge of Promoting Dynamic Engagement of All Citizens Eto Seiichi are close friends of Premier Abe.

Bureaucrat from Police Authority

A new Minister of Land and Transport Akabane Kazuyoshi, who is from the Komei-to Party, is an intimate friend of Premier Abe, too, and entered the political life at the same time as Mr. Abe. His appointment suggests the coalition partner may ally with the LDP’s constitution amendment plans. Mr. Kitamura Shigeru was appointed as Director of National Security Secretariat, who is from the Department of Foreign Information of the National Police Agency and has served as Secretary of Premier Abe. Some people warn, reportedly, a fact that a police information officer takes the top post of the national security.

Constitution amendment is the most crucial task of Prime Minister Abe and his intention is reflected in the selection of leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP); Mr. Nikai Toshihiro takes the position of Secretary-General and Mr. Kishida Fumio, Chairperson of the Policy Research Council. Mr. Hosoda Hiroyuki, former Secretary-General and former Director of Constitution Amendment Headquarters, was assigned as Director of Headquarters of Promotion of Constitution Amendment. He is from the Hosoda Faction, to which Premier Abe belongs, and he is Chairman now.

Mr. Seko Hiroshige from the Hosoda faction, ex-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industries, is appointed as General Secretary for the LDP of the House of Councilors, and Mr. Suematsu Shinsuke, a Hosoda faction politician, takes the position of Chairperson of Diet Affairs for the LDP of the House of Councilors. In the House of Councilors amendment-supporting lawmakers do not occupy the 2/3 seats, the number necessary to present a bill to revise the constitution. At the same time in the LDP president elections, politicians belonging to the Takeshita faction supported the rival of Mr. Abe, Mr. Ishiba, taking different stance from that of Premier Abe. The new arrangement has enhanced the direction more solidly toward amendment. The LDP will wage attacks in order to split opposition parties and coercively begin debates in the Constitution Examination Council.

Relations between ROK and Japan

The extraordinary Diet session will start on October 4, lasting till the first days of December. Contentions will be staged at first on the bills on US-Japan trade negotiation and to revise the Referendum Act. And then debates will continue on constitution amendment and a financial verification report will be focused on public pension programs.A plan will be raised to dispatch troops of the Self Defense Forces to the Strait of Hormuz.

The biggest attention will be paid on the ROK-Japan relations; opposition parties cannot coordinate policies to settle the issue of Korean slave laborers during the wartime. How will they able to tackle the contentious points?

As for the constitution amendment issue, a grave scene is foreseen as the ruling and opposition blocs will be reorganized as the former Minshin Party members get together themselves.

September 24, 2019