Cabinet Office updates Regulatory Reform Promotion Council membership

The government announced in the personnel changes section of the Cabinet Office in the Official Gazette (dated November 12, 2026) that 12 members of the Regulatory Reform Promotion Council were dismissed as of October 31, and 17 members were appointed to the council as of November 10. All were published as personnel changes notified to each individual, using the format “dismissed… upon request (each notified)” and “appointed… (each notified).” This is an unusual turnover in which the majority of the members were replaced, separated by a gap of approximately 10 days.

The council is established within the Cabinet Office and is a body that deliberates on basic policies for regulatory reform and reform proposals for individual sectors, and has been involved in the formulation of the government’s regulatory reform implementation plans. The members consist of representatives from the business community, academia, the legal profession, and local governments; the selection of members influences the priority areas of regulatory reform and the methods of implementation. These changes were published collectively in the personnel changes section of the Official Gazette as appointments closely monitored by both the relevant ministries and economic organizations.

Twelve members dismissed as of October 31

The members notified of their dismissal are the following 12 people (honorifics omitted).

• Michiko Ashizawa
• Takafumi Ochiai
• Kentaro Kawabe
• Kiemitsu Sato
• Junko Sugimoto
• Tetsuro Tomita
• Kazuhiko Tomiyama
• Makiko Nak室
• Izumi Hayashi
• Amako Hori
• Naoaki Mashimo
• Mizuko Mitarai

The notification included the note “each notified,” indicating that individual notices were delivered to each person, and the effective date of dismissal was clearly stated as October 31.

Seventeen members appointed as of November 10

The newly notified members are the following 17 people (honorifics omitted).

• Michiko Ashizawa
• Ange Ishiyama
• Yukiko Ito
• Hiroshi Ohashi
• Masataka Ogasawara
• Takafumi Ochiai
• Akira Komiya
• Junko Sugimoto
• Soichiro Takashima
• Toshio Taki
• Kazuhiko Tomiyama
• Makiko Nak室
• Tamaki Hosokawa
• Amako Hori
• Yutaka Matsuo
• Yuichiro Mizumachi
• Ryuichi Morishita

The effective date of appointment was November 10, and this also included the “each notified” note.

Six reappointments, eleven new faces, and six departures

By comparing the lists of those dismissed and those appointed, the changes in composition can be summarized in the following three points:

• 6 people were reappointed. Michiko Ashizawa, Takafumi Ochiai, Junko Sugimoto, Kazuhiko Tomiyama, Makiko Nak室, and Amako Hori were once dismissed on October 31 and then reappointed on November 10.
• 11 people are new appointments. Ange Ishiyama, Yukiko Ito, Hiroshi Ohashi, Masataka Ogasawara, Akira Komiya, Soichiro Takashima, Toshio Taki, Tamaki Hosokawa, Yutaka Matsuo, Yuichiro Mizumachi, and Ryuichi Morishita.
• 6 people departed. Kentaro Kawabe, Kiemitsu Sato, Tetsuro Tomita, Izumi Hayashi, Naoaki Mashimo, and Mizuko Mitarai do not appear on the list of appointees.

In the same personnel changes section of the Cabinet Office, it was also announced that Hiroshi Ohashi was dismissed as a member of the Committee for the Promotion of Projects Utilizing Private Sector Funds, etc. as of November 5, indicating that personnel changes across different committees were carried out in parallel.

As the lineup of members changes, there is a possibility of shifts in the priority of issues—including “bedrock” regulations—and the manner in which deliberations are conducted. The meeting schedule and the timing for finalizing recommendations under the new structure were not indicated in this announcement; therefore, the business community and the ministries in charge will have to gauge future agenda settings through the areas of expertise of the new members.

Sources

• Official Gazette, Thursday, November 12, 2026, Cabinet Office “Personnel Changes” (Diet Matters/Personnel Changes section)
• Dismissal of members of the Regulatory Reform Promotion Council (Individual notifications), as of October 31, 12 people
• Appointment of members of the Regulatory Reform Promotion Council (Individual notifications), as of November 10, 17 people
• Dismissal of member of the Committee for the Promotion of Projects Utilizing Private Sector Funds, etc., as of November 5 (Hiroshi Ohashi)