The appointments of four executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party highlight a weakness of Yasuo Fukuda — the lack of close allies within his own party.
None of the key LDP executives installed on Monday are close to incoming Prime Minister Fukuda, and political observers predict it will be difficult for him to manage his own party.
This is in stark contrast to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who appointed a number of his longtime friends to key party and Cabinet posts.