Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will decide on the appointment of deputy ministers and parliamentary secretaries for his second cabinet.
Several media outlets reported that Akiko Ikuina, 56, a former member of an idol group ‘O-nyanko Club’ was expected to be appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and a former member of ‘SPEED’, Eriko Imai, 41, as Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office. This was met with surprise and harsh criticism on the internet.
Ikuina belongs to the Liberal Democratic Party and has been elected once. Imai, also of the LDP, has been elected twice. Imai has had previous problems with her affair and not submitting reports on a Paris inspection trip.
On X in Japan, ‘Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs’ and ‘Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office’ are trending together. The criticism of the Ishiba appointment didn’t cease, such as ‘LDP have gone completely mad!’ and ‘Is Ishiba a joke? Is he really going to destroy the LDP, or do other LDP members have no idea?’
