PM Shinzo Abe Appoints Inada to Key Post

Japanese Shinzo Abe reshuffled his cabinet for its third term with key posts unchanged and posted his ally Tomomi Inada Minister of Defense.

Prime Minister Abe made two key appointments this time to tactfully tide over the remaining two years of his term as the LDP skipper: one, the appointment of Toshihiro Nikai, 77, as LDP secretary-general and, two, that of Tomomi Inada for the post of Defense Minister.

Nikai, a seasoned politician with many allies in Komeito who has often indicated his position in favor of extending Abe's term. Now that Shigeru Ishiba sidelined himself to seek post-Abe contest for LDP leadership, Abe had every reason to have Nikai in his sight to engineer his remaining term and beyond.

Tomomi Inada, 57, is the woman Minister of Defense, second to the just-elected Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike who held the post briefly in 2007. Inada is regarded one of Abe's close allies over key issues notably over constitutional revision.

The ruling LDP and Komeito dominating both houses of the Diet with a two-thirds majority, constitutional revision is now an open reality for the opposition to face. Inada's appointment to the Defense post this time is a clear signal for Abe's decision to make a go of it, as it were, in his current term.

China rejected to comment on "Japan's internal affairs", only commenting on Inada a rightist pilitician having regularly visited Yasukuni Shrine.

Meanwhile, South Korea strongly reacted to Inada's appointment, covering her past rightist actions over the Takeshima islands, the "Statue of peace", etc.

With or without Donald Trump, Japan now stands at the crossroad of decision-making on its defense. The climate is right; Tomomi Inada, soft-worded as she might sound, is a mighty sharp blade.

We shall see. (Nathan Shiga)