Japan's new PM Suga fills cabinet with many familiar faces

Chief cabinet secretary post goes to Kato; Abe's brother named defense chief

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his cabinet ministers pose for a group photo at Suga's official residence in Tokyo on Sept. 16. (Photo by Karina Nooka)

YUKIHIRO SAKAGUCHI, Nikkei staff writer

September 15, 2020 15:34 JST

Updated on September 16, 2020 22:34 JST

TOKYO -- Yoshihide Suga, Japan's new prime minister, on Wednesday unveiled a cabinet filled with many familiar faces, some significant tweaks, and only a sprinkling of women.

Suga picked Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Katsunobu Kato as chief cabinet secretary -- the new leader's role for nearly eight years under Shinzo Abe. This position as the government's top spokesperson is the prime minister's main tool for exercising control over Japan's powerful bureaucracy.