Today, the Japanese Prime Minister announced changes in cabinet personnel.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a cabinet reshuffle, is expected to make conservative choices as his administration is shaken.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and members of the Liberal Democratic Party at the party congress in March 2017. Photo: Reuters

Kyodo news agency reported that today (August 3), Prime Minister Abe will announce the decisions. Accordingly, veteran politician in the field of diplomacy Taro Kono will take the position of Foreign Minister. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will become chairman of the policy body of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Mr. Itsunori Onodera is expected to return to the position of Defense Minister, the position he held before Mr. Abe's time, replacing Ms. Tomomi Inada, who has just resigned.

Former trade minister Toshimitsu Motegi will become economy minister while finance minister Taro Aso will keep his post, according to Japanese media.

In addition, former Cabinet minister Seiko Noda is likely to become internal affairs minister in a bid to attract female voters.

Several new names were predicted to join the cabinet, such as Shinjiro Koizumi, but the talented young politician has not appeared in media lists recently.

Although Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga insisted that the cabinet reshuffle was aimed at pushing through economic reforms, the move was clearly aimed at saving the Abe administration's credibility.

Recent polls show that the Abe administration's approval rating has dropped to a record low, below 30%, following a series of cabinet scandals and defeat in the Tokyo city election.

However, observers say that reform will not help improve the situation.

"I don't think Mr. Abe will have any surprises in the reform that can revive the poll numbers," Reuters news agency quoted the director of Asian studies at Temple University in Japan as saying./.

According to Tuoi Tre