September 17, 2020

The Suga Cabinet was formed on September 16. Its roster clearly reflects Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s intention to continue with the policies of his predecessor, Abe Shinzo.

Suga appointed Kato Katsunobu, one of Abe’s closest aides, as the Chief Cabinet Secretary. Kato was the Health, Labour, and Welfare Minister in the Abe Cabinet. Eight of the key members of the Abe Cabinet, including Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Aso Taro and Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, retained their posts. Of the Suga Cabinet’s 20 members (not including the prime minister), only two are women.

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on the same day at a press conference in the Diet building commented on the lineup of the new Cabinet, and said, “It is like another Abe Cabinet, only without Abe. It has become clear that Suga intends to follow Abe’s policy line without any reflection on a need for change.” He also stressed, “Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan’s leadership is required to play a role in the fight to overcome the crisis. However, it does not appear that the Suga government will be able to present a new direction in this regard.”

Past related article:
> Shii comments on Suga’s election as LDP president [September 15, 2020]