Japanese PM Takaichi si to retain Trade Minister Akazawa, according to Yomiuri

The trade minister portfolio in Tokyo carries particular weight in episodes where tariff or autos negotiations with Washington are live, since the minister and his team own the working-level channel, and continuity at the top avoids the reset in counterpart familiarity that a reshuffle would impose. Retaining an incumbent who has already been the face of the talks preserves whatever negotiating capital and personal rapport has been built on both sides, a dynamic that has historically mattered more in US-Japan trade dealings than formal mandates. Yomiuri as the sourcing is consistent with how Japanese cabinet decisions typically surface, through the major dailies ahead of official announcement, so confirmation at the swearing-in remains the formality. The distinction worth drawing is between retention of the trade chief and the composition of the wider economic team: finance, METI, and foreign minister choices will say more about fiscal stance and the administration's posture toward the currency. Follow-ons are the full cabinet list and any early contact with Washington on outstanding trade files.