Takaichi will lean on conservative inner circle despite balanced cabinet

key takeaways

• 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.