The new leader of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Suga Yoshihide, is set to be elected as prime minister in the Diet on Wednesday.

The vote among lawmakers is virtually assured to name Suga as the successor to Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, since an LDP-led coalition controls both houses.

NHK has obtained details about who will serve in Japan's new cabinet. The list includes veteran politicians who have served as ministers, apparently reflecting Suga's intention to continue Abe's policies by keeping familiar faces on board.

Aso Taro will remain as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. He has been in the position since 2012.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has thanked all the members of the public and asked them to support his successor Suga Yoshihide.

Abe spoke to reporters when he entered the prime minister's office shortly before 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

Japan's exports declined 14.8 percent in August from a year earlier, preliminary trade data released by the Finance Ministry on Wednesday showed.

Imports also decreased sharply, falling 20.8 percent year on year. That left the country with a trade surplus of about 248 billion yen, or approximately 2.4 billion dollars.

Japan is on the cusp of getting a new Cabinet---and NHK is learning details about who will serve in key posts.

Aso Taro will remain as deputy prime minister and finance minister. Health Minister Kato Katsunobu will become chief cabinet secretary.

A newly formed opposition party in Japan, the Democratic Party for the People, has officially approved the lineup of party executives.

The opposition group held its inaugural meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.

NHK has learned that Health Minister Kato Katsunobu will become Chief Cabinet Secretary in the next cabinet.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Aso Taro will keep his posts. The cabinet will be formed on Wednesday.

The new leader of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is flexing his powers in his picks for the lineup of party executives.

Suga Yoshihide has filled key posts with veteran lawmakers from the five LDP factions that backed his campaign.

A US foreign policy expert says Japan's new prime minister should put relations with South Korea and the United States among his priorities. Suga Yoshihide was chosen this week to head the main governing Liberal Democratic Party, making him likely to become prime minister.

Michael Green, a former White House official for Asia who now works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, spoke to NHK last week.

A former Nissan Motor executive has pleaded not guilty to a charge of underreporting the income of ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn.

Greg Kelly, Ghosn's close aide, attended the opening hearing of his trial at Tokyo District Court on Tuesday.

The Tokyo Metropolitan government confirmed 191 new cases of the coronavirus in the capital on Tuesday.

The daily tally has again topped 100 after a dip on the previous day.

Kyoto City in western Japan has decided to double the number of staff at public health offices by the end of September to better deal with novel coronavirus infections.

The city will move up hiring plans while confirming the wishes of new workers. It will also have staffing agencies send more medical nurses and public health nurses. It aims to have 66 workers by the end of this month.

The new leader of Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party appears to have decided on the lineup of the party's executive posts.

Suga Yoshihide won the party's leadership race on Monday by taking nearly 70 percent of the votes.

The new leader of Japan's governing Liberal Democratic Party says he will choose reform-minded people for party executives and cabinet ministers.

Suga Yoshihide spoke to reporters on Monday after being elected as the president of the Liberal Democratic Party. He is expected to be chosen as prime minister in Diet elections on Wednesday.