Japan’s newly elected ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Sanae Takaichi is considering Shunichi Suzuki for the party’s No. 2 post and may name former Prime Minister Taro Aso as vice president, Kyodo News reported.
Takaichi is likely to make a decision on party executive roles as soon as Tuesday, the news agency said. Suzuki, currently chief of the party’s General Council, belongs to Aso’s faction, which backed Takaichi in Saturday’s leadership race. The party chief, aged 64, is expected to be chosen prime minister in an extraordinary Diet session this month, though those close to her say she might take longer to discuss cooperation with opposition parties as the LDP is governing without a majority, said Kyodo News.
In a news conference on Saturday, Takaichi said she intends to give the other four leadership contenders senior ministerial or party roles. Her predecessor, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, announced last month that he would step down after the ruling bloc lost its majority in the upper-house election in July.
President Donald Trump congratulated Takaichi and said Japan had “just elected its first female Prime Minister, a highly respected person of great wisdom and strength.” “This is tremendous news for the incredible people of Japan,” he wrote on Truth Social.
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