Takaichi will lean on conservative inner circle despite balanced cabinet

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Takaichi Sanae was elected as prime minister by the Diet on Tuesday, 21 October.
Her cabinet appointments reflected competing needs to bolster unity in the LDP, reward supporters, and ensure that some of her loyal allies are around the table.
However, her more important personnel decisions may be in her “inner cabinet,” the senior posts in the prime minister’s office that set the direction for the government; most of these posts went to Takaichi’s fellow conservatives, with implications for how she will manage the government.