RIA Novosti reports that Emperor Akihito of Japan held a ceremony of approving a new Cabinet of Ministers, after which the government is officially formed.

As previously reported, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe conducted a radical reshuffle in the government, leaving only 5 of his 19 posts, including Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso and Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Sugu. At the same time, out of the new 13 ministers, only 6 people will head ministries for the first time, others already have similar experience. The new Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan was Taro Kono. He is considered to be a supporter of the revision of the agreement on the status of the US Armed Forces on the territory of the country.

The Defense Ministry was headed by Itzunori Onodare, who was already Minister of Defense in 2012-2014. Onedare is known as a supporter of Japan's defense capability. The former chairman of the general council of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Seiko Noda, became the minister of administrative affairs. Toshimitsu Motaga became Minister of Economic Recovery. The Minister for the Affairs of Okinawa and the "Northern Territories" - in particular, the Southern Kuriles, has also been replaced - now Tatsuma Esaki.