03 August, 2017
Japan's Taro Kono, a former minister for administrative reform, will be appointed foreign minister in a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, Kyodo News Service reported.
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, now doubling as defense chief, is expected to stay on as top diplomat, the sources said.
Kishida is set to take a key policy position in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, NHK public broadcaster said on Wednesday.
Suga, along with finance minister and deputy prime minister Taro Aso, were among officials who kept their posts.
Kishida, widely believed to be a front-runner to take charge of the ruling party in the future, will henceforth chair the party's Policy Research Council.
Abe reappointed former defence minister Itsunori Onodera after close ally and fellow nationalist Tomomi Inada resigned from the post last week following a scandal at the ministry over the handling of military documents.
Kishida, 60, is set to be tapped for the post of LDP policy chief.
Meanwhile, Seiko Noda, 56, once hailed as Japan's most likely first female prime minister and who once tried to challenge Abe for the party leadership, was expected to serve as internal affairs minister.
Transport minister Keiichi Ishii is also expected to stay on and Masahiko Komura, the party's vice president is expected to remain in his current post, according to the sources.
Abe also chose several popular lawmakers known to differ from him on key issues such as nuclear power and revision of Japan's pacifist constitution.
Since assuming the post of secretary general a year ago, Nikai, for his part, has been a staunch advocate of Abe and has made no secret of his unwavering support for the prime minister.
New General Council Chairman Wataru Takeshita, who had been responsible for parliamentary wrangling as head of the party's Diet Affairs Committee, will now be tasked with keeping in line members of the council prone to distancing themselves from Abe.
Komura has served for a record of more than 1,770 straight days in the vice presidential post.
Former education minister Ryu Shionoya will chair the party's Election Strategy Committee, while Hiroshi Moriyama, former agriculture minister, will take over Takeshita's former position in the Diet Affairs Committee.
In the selection of his new executive lineup, Abe has assigned roles to appease all major LDP party factions.
