Japan's 102nd Shigeru Ishiba Cabinet officially launched this afternoon

Ishiba Shigeru, Japan's 102nd Cabinet, will officially launch this afternoon.

Ishiba, who was elected in the election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on the 27th of last month, will be elected as the new prime minister through an election to nominate the lower house and upper house of parliament in an extraordinary session of the National Assembly this afternoon.

After that, Ishiba officially inaugurated a new cabinet after a pro-appointment ceremony to receive a letter of appointment from Emperor Naruhito.

Ishiba is expected to appoint Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who supported him during the final round of the presidential election, along with his aides in the newly launched cabinet.

Hayashi Yoshimasa, the current Chief Cabinet Secretary from the "Kishida faction," has been appointed as the second-in-command of the prime minister's residence.

Former Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya, former head of the camp's campaign team, will be appointed as the new foreign minister, and former Defense Minister Ken Nakatani will be appointed as the new defense minister.

After completing the formation of the cabinet, Ishiba is expected to hold an early general election to lay the groundwork for the Liberal Democratic Party, whose approval ratings have plummeted due to the "secret funds scandal."

"It is important for the new regime to be judged by the people as early as possible," Ishiba said at a news conference the day before, adding that he plans to dissolve the House of Representatives early and hold a general election on October 27.