Chief Cabinet Secretary to Double as Vaccination Minister

Tokyo, March 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to have Noriko Horiuchi vacate the position of minister in charge of COVID-19 vaccinations on Thursday and have Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno concurrently serve in the post from Friday, Matsuno revealed Tuesday.

"I will work closely with the health minister to do everything possible so that all people wanting to receive their third round of COVID-19 vaccines will be able to be vaccinated as soon as possible," Matsuno told a press conference.

Horiuchi will leave Kishida's cabinet as the maximum number of cabinet members under the cabinet law will be reduced from 20 to 19 at the end of March.

After her departure, the cabinet will have only two female members: Seiko Noda, minister in charge of measures against the declining birthrate, and Karen Makishima, minister for digitalization.

Horiuchi also holds the post of minister for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, held in summer 2021, which will be taken over by sports minister Shinsuke Suematsu.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]