The board members of the Liberal Democratic Party decided to dismiss Chief Deputy Secretary-General Shinjiro Koizumi. The party’s Policy Board Council will arrange to assign Koizumi to head the Health, Labor and Welfare Division, a position that he wants. A senior party member revealed this on Oct. 2.

Meanwhile, former Minister of Defense Tomomi Inada will replace Koizumi as chief deputy secretary-general and Masahiko Shibayama as special advisor to the LDP President. Shibayama joined the cabinet for the first time. This suggests Abe’s intention to reinstate Inada, who took the blame for the daily log scandal and resigned her post. Motoo Hayashi and Katsutoshi Kaneda will remain as acting secretaries-general.

Ex-Justice Minister Midori Matsushima, who belongs to the Hosoda faction, will head the party’s Public Relations Headquarters. The Hosoda faction refrains from sending its members to the party’s four executive posts. Owing to this, it was given the party’s second highest post after the four posts.