Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has decided to replace more than half of his 18 ministers in the first week of September in what would be his first Cabinet reshuffle since taking office in December 2012, senior government officials said.
The focus will be on who is given the two new state minister posts Abe plans to create, one for aiding regional economies and the other for coordinating the legal changes needed to follow through on the Cabinet's controversial decision to reinterpret the pacifist Constitution to allow Japan to use collective self-defense.
Attention will also be paid to the fate of Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba, the No. 2 man in Abe's ruling party. Key Cabinet members including Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and Akira Amari, minister in charge of economic revitalization, are widely expected to retain their posts.
A ruling party source said the Cabinet reshuffle is expected to take place around Sept. 3, since a nationwide disaster drill will be held on Sept. 1 and preparations are being made for Abe to hold talks with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi the same day.
But Jiji Press reported the shake-up is expected to take place on Sept. 4 or 5.