Picking the right Cabinet members is the first and possibly the hardest task for any new prime minister, and Yasuo Fukuda &#8212; who took the helm Tuesday &#8212; probably had little choice but to play it safe.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='350' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2007/nn20070926a6a.jpg' WIDTH='175' HEIGHT='295'/></TD> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2007/nn20070926a6b.jpg' WIDTH='175' HEIGHT='295'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD COLSPAN='2'><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Masahiko Komura –

and Shigeru Ishiba enter the Prime Minister's Official Residence on Tuesday evening after being tapped to serve as foreign minister and defense minister, respectively, by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. KYODO PHOTOS

Many people must have experienced a sense of deja vu when learning the lineup of Fukuda's newly appointed Cabinet. Most ministers under Shinzo Abe, who resigned earlier in the day, have remained in their posts, while several others have returned after serving roles in earlier administrations.