Japanese PM Fumio Kishida reshuffles his Cabinet

Bishkek, Aug. 10, 2022. / Kabar /. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday reshuffled his Cabinet and party executive lineup, seeking to stem a decline in public support and cut any dubious links to a religious group in the spotlight due to the killing of former premier Shinzo Abe, Kyodo reported. Kishida hopes the personnel changes, relying on a number of familiar faces, will pave the way for a long-term, stable administration to tackle what he has described as "the biggest challenges of the postwar era," ranging from COVID-19 and inflation to Russia's war in Ukraine and heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Kishida had enjoyed relatively strong public support since becoming prime minister last October. For the past 10 months, Kishida has been prioritizing the government's COVID-19 response and steps to fight accelerating inflation that he has blamed largely on Russia's war in Ukraine. Key events after the personnel changes include work to draw up a budget for the next fiscal year from April, the state funeral for Abe and a review of national security strategy and defense policy documents.