Japan's Kishida likely to retain finance minister in reshuffle

Minoru Terada, and upper house lawmaker Naoki Okada are expected to be appointed to the cabinet for the first time

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to retain Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki in a cabinet reshuffle this week, government and ruling party sources said on Tuesday, as local media said his current foreign minister would also stay on, Qazet.az reports.

Support for Kishida's cabinet slid to the lowest level since he took office last October, down to 46% from 59% three weeks ago, NHK public broadcaster said on Monday, results in line with other recent surveys.

The sources who told Reuters about Finance Minister Suzuki declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda is expected to be shifted to a position outside the cabinet, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said, without naming its sources. The paper said Hagiuda would most likely become chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) policy research committee.

Hagiuda is a member of the LDP's largest faction, led by Abe until his July 8 killing. His move would highlight the importance of that faction and help strengthen defence policy, a key current issue for Japan given tensions surrounding China and Taiwan.