| 09.28.2004 Mainichi Shinbum Koizumi carries out large-scale Cabinet reshuffle Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi carried out a large-scale Cabinet reshuffle on Monday, replacing 11 ministers. Koizumi officially launched his new 17-member Cabinet after an attestation ceremony held at the Imperial Palace on Monday evening. At a news conference, the premier reiterated that his government will carry through with the proposed privatization of postal services. "By aiming to privatize postal services, I hope to place structural reform policies on an irreversible track," Koizumi told a news conference. The prime minister retained Minister for Economic and Fiscal Policy Heizo Takenaka and gave him an additional post of minister in charge of privatization of postal services. Moreover, Public Management Minister Taro Aso who supervises Japan Post, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa and Environment Minister Yuriko Koike also remained in their respective positions. Former Education Minister Nobutaka Machimura was named to replace Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi who is not a legislator. Nine of the 17 became Cabinet ministers for the first time. One of them is new Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa, who is chairman of the Policy Board of Komeito, the LDP's ruling coalition partner. Lower House member Yoshinori Ono and Nariaki Nakayama became Defense Agency chief and minister for education, culture, sports, science and technology, respectively, while House of Councillors member Chieko Nono was appointed as justice minister. Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Chikara Sakaguchi, the only Komeito member of the previous Koizumi Cabinet, was replaced by LDP Upper House member Hidehisa Otsuji. Lower House members Seiichiro Murakami and Yoshitaka Murata were named to serve as minister for administrative reform and chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, respectively. Lower House member Yasufumi Tanahashi became minister for science and technology policy, while former Senior Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office, Tatsuya Ito, took over the post of minister for financial services from Takenaka. Former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshinobu Shimamura was appointed to the same post again. Yoriko Kawaguchi, who stepped down as foreign minister, and former LDP Vice President Taku Yamasaki, who lost his Lower House seat in last year's general election, were appointed as top advisers. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Sept. 27, 2004) |
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