TOKYO -- Hours after his new cabinet was sworn in on Sept. 16, Japan's newly appointed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga met privately in his office with his 20 ministers. Each, in turn, got a pep talk and a modest-sounding brief of two policy goals apiece.

The Big Story
Caretaker or changemaker? Riddle of Japan's ambitious new leader
How feared backroom operator Yoshihide Suga intends to seize his moment