Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori expressed hope Sunday that former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda will be appointed foreign minister in a Cabinet reshuffle expected in late September.
Speaking on a TV talk show, Mori said if Shinzo Abe resigns as secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party in a leadership reshuffle also scheduled for late September, his successor should be selected from outside of the Mori faction.
Mori is close to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who belonged to his faction before becoming prime minister in 2001.
Fukuda "has the best sense of stability and very high trust internationally," Mori said.