The government plans to appoint Kazuo Masuda, director-general for defense policy, as the Defense Ministry's top bureaucrat after he played a central role in formulating Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's security agenda, a source close to the matter said Saturday.
Masuda, 59, head of the ministry's Bureau of Defense Policy, would replace Atsuo Suzuki, 61, as vice defense minister, the source said. Kishida's Cabinet will formally decide on the appointment in early July.
Kiyoshi Serizawa, 59, director-general of the minister's secretariat, will replace Masami Oka, 59, as vice minister of defense for international affairs, according to the source.
Masuda played a leading role in updating the National Security Strategy and two other key defense documents in December. As part of this update, Japan committed to acquiring counterstrike capabilities in a significant departure from its exclusively defense-oriented policy under the pacifist Constitution.
He was also involved in crafting policies to substantially enhance the country's defense, including Kishida's pledge to almost double defense spending over five years.
According to the source, the appointment of a new vice defense minister is a direct reflection of Masuda's efforts, as the country faces the need to implement measures to bolster its defense capabilities.
After joining the Defense Agency, the precursor of the Defense Ministry, in 1988, Masuda, a native of Chiba Prefecture and a graduate of Keio University, held posts such as director of the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Division.
He also served as an executive secretary to former prime ministers Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga.
In a related move, the government is expected to appoint Koichiro Nakajima, 56, an executive secretary to Kishida, as director-general of the minister's secretariat, and Koji Kano, 57, councilor for national security affairs at the Cabinet Secretariat, as head of the Bureau of Defense Policy.