The government has informally decided to appoint Foreign Policy Bureau Director General Takeo Akiba to replace Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs (in charge of political affairs) Shinsuke Sugiyama, who will be promoted to the post of vice-minister for foreign affairs. It will also appoint Keiichi Katakami, ambassador of Japan for the European Union, to be deputy minister for foreign affairs in charge of economic affairs. These appointments will be officially announced shortly.

Takeo Akiba joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) after graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo in 1982. He has been serving as director general of the Foreign Policy Bureau since October 2015, after serving as director general of the International Legal Affairs Bureau. He was born in Kanagawa and is 57 years old.

Keiichi Katakami joined MOFA in 1980 after graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo in 1979. He has been serving as ambassador of Japan to the European Union since July 2014, after serving as director general of the Economic Affairs Bureau. He was born in Tokyo and is 62 years old.