ID :
204971
Fri, 09/02/2011 - 18:50
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/204971
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Japan's Noda forms Cabinet with younger allies to tackle challenges+
TOKYO, Sept. 2 Kyodo -
Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda handpicked his allies in their 40s for key posts in the Cabinet he launched Friday to attain his goals of reconstructing areas hit hard by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and propping up the flagging economy amid budgetary constraints.
Noda, who will adopt policies similar to his predecessor Naoto Kan's, also gave some Cabinet positions to lawmakers critical of Kan's leadership, with an eye to easing tension within his conflict-prone ruling Democratic Party of Japan.
''Under the severe circumstances, my government gives top priority to overcoming issues of reconstruction from the disaster and the nuclear crisis, and getting through several crises the economy is facing,'' Noda said at his first press conference as prime minister.
But it remains to be seen whether he will be able to display active initiative in formulating policy as some members are opposed to his ideas of economic and financial management, including the promotion of higher taxes and free trade.
''There is no personnel selection that everyone can accept,'' Noda said.
Noda, who at 54 is the third-youngest prime minister in Japan's postwar history, appointed five DPJ lawmakers in their 40s in the 18-member Cabinet including himself, allowing him to fashion the youngest government since the DPJ swept to power in 2009.
To pursue budgetary reform, Noda, known as a fiscal hawk, picked Jun Azumi, 49, the DPJ's former Diet affairs chief and a proponent of fiscal discipline within the ruling party, as finance minister.
As worries grow about his lack of political experience because Azumi joined the Cabinet for the first time, Noda, finance minister under the government of Kan, is expected to be at the forefront of steering fiscal policy.
Koichiro Gemba, 47, national policy minister and an advocate of free trade, was picked for the post of foreign minister. Azumi and Gemba were born in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, respectively, which were ravaged by the natural disasters in March.
Motohisa Furukawa, 45, former deputy chief Cabinet secretary, assumed the post of national policy minister and concurrently state minister for economic and fiscal policy. Furukawa, a former elite bureaucrat in the Finance Ministry, was one of the pivotal members who compiled the DPJ's proposals for integrated tax and social security reform including a consumption tax hike.
As Noda has pledged to eliminate waste in government, Renho, 43, returned to the post of state minister in charge of administrative reform, which she left under Kan's reshuffled Cabinet.
The new prime minister reiterated at the news conference that tax increases to fund the rebuilding of the disaster-stricken areas will not take place before cutting more wasteful spending of taxpayers' money.
With the government planning to establish by next April a new nuclear safety regulatory agency under the Environment Ministry, Noda retained Goshi Hosono, 40, as minister in charge of handling the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis to ensure continuity and will have him double as environment minister.
Tatsuo Hirano, 57, remained in the post of reconstruction minister.
Noda appointed Osamu Fujimura, 61, one of the DPJ lawmakers closest to him, as chief Cabinet secretary, a post making him the top government spokesman.
Apparently to reinforce unity within the ruling party, Noda picked lawmakers close to DPJ veteran Ichiro Ozawa, a vocal critic of Kan's leadership, including Kenji Yamaoka, former DPJ Diet affairs chief, and Yasuo Ichikawa, chief of the House of Councillors policy board of the DPJ caucus.
Yamaoka, 68, was named chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, while Ichikawa, 69, took the post of defense minister.
Noda also retained Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano, 69, who was one of his four rivals in the DPJ's presidential election Monday, as a move to underscore party unity.
But concern is growing among some DPJ members that focusing too much on party unity could prevent Noda from coordinating government policy.
Ozawa and most of his loyal supporters are opponents of tax hikes. While Noda has signaled his readiness for Japan to join the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks, farm minister Kano has been reluctant to do so.
Ozawa welcomed the new Cabinet lineup, saying, ''This is so good,'' according to his allies. But a senior DPJ lawmaker close to DPJ policy chief Seiji Maehara, an anti-Ozawa lawmaker, said, ''I'm skeptical whether the team can help the DPJ to turn around.''
Takeshi Maeda, 73, head of the upper house Budget Committee, became land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister, while former education minister Tatsuo Kawabata, 66, took up the position of internal affairs and communications minister.
Former DPJ Diet affairs chief Yoshio Hachiro, 63, became economy, trade and industry minister. Postal reform minister Shozaburo Jimi, 65, a member of the DPJ's coalition partner the People's New Party, also kept his post.
The Cabinet was formally inaugurated with an attestation ceremony at the Imperial Palace in the afternoon.
After arranging the Cabinet's lineup, Noda has to scale up efforts to deal with the divided Diet, where opposition parties control the upper house and have prevented the ruling party from concentrating on legislation.
The prime minister on Friday called for cooperation from the opposition camp again, saying he hopes that the DPJ can map out policies on reconstruction and economic matters for the public, together with Japan's two largest opposition parties.
Noda has asked the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party to help create a framework to discuss three issues -- how to grapple with the negative effects of the yen's surge and deflation, reconstructing the country following the March disaster, and tax reform.
Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda handpicked his allies in their 40s for key posts in the Cabinet he launched Friday to attain his goals of reconstructing areas hit hard by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and propping up the flagging economy amid budgetary constraints.
Noda, who will adopt policies similar to his predecessor Naoto Kan's, also gave some Cabinet positions to lawmakers critical of Kan's leadership, with an eye to easing tension within his conflict-prone ruling Democratic Party of Japan.
''Under the severe circumstances, my government gives top priority to overcoming issues of reconstruction from the disaster and the nuclear crisis, and getting through several crises the economy is facing,'' Noda said at his first press conference as prime minister.
But it remains to be seen whether he will be able to display active initiative in formulating policy as some members are opposed to his ideas of economic and financial management, including the promotion of higher taxes and free trade.
''There is no personnel selection that everyone can accept,'' Noda said.
Noda, who at 54 is the third-youngest prime minister in Japan's postwar history, appointed five DPJ lawmakers in their 40s in the 18-member Cabinet including himself, allowing him to fashion the youngest government since the DPJ swept to power in 2009.
To pursue budgetary reform, Noda, known as a fiscal hawk, picked Jun Azumi, 49, the DPJ's former Diet affairs chief and a proponent of fiscal discipline within the ruling party, as finance minister.
As worries grow about his lack of political experience because Azumi joined the Cabinet for the first time, Noda, finance minister under the government of Kan, is expected to be at the forefront of steering fiscal policy.
Koichiro Gemba, 47, national policy minister and an advocate of free trade, was picked for the post of foreign minister. Azumi and Gemba were born in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, respectively, which were ravaged by the natural disasters in March.
Motohisa Furukawa, 45, former deputy chief Cabinet secretary, assumed the post of national policy minister and concurrently state minister for economic and fiscal policy. Furukawa, a former elite bureaucrat in the Finance Ministry, was one of the pivotal members who compiled the DPJ's proposals for integrated tax and social security reform including a consumption tax hike.
As Noda has pledged to eliminate waste in government, Renho, 43, returned to the post of state minister in charge of administrative reform, which she left under Kan's reshuffled Cabinet.
The new prime minister reiterated at the news conference that tax increases to fund the rebuilding of the disaster-stricken areas will not take place before cutting more wasteful spending of taxpayers' money.
With the government planning to establish by next April a new nuclear safety regulatory agency under the Environment Ministry, Noda retained Goshi Hosono, 40, as minister in charge of handling the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis to ensure continuity and will have him double as environment minister.
Tatsuo Hirano, 57, remained in the post of reconstruction minister.
Noda appointed Osamu Fujimura, 61, one of the DPJ lawmakers closest to him, as chief Cabinet secretary, a post making him the top government spokesman.
Apparently to reinforce unity within the ruling party, Noda picked lawmakers close to DPJ veteran Ichiro Ozawa, a vocal critic of Kan's leadership, including Kenji Yamaoka, former DPJ Diet affairs chief, and Yasuo Ichikawa, chief of the House of Councillors policy board of the DPJ caucus.
Yamaoka, 68, was named chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, while Ichikawa, 69, took the post of defense minister.
Noda also retained Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano, 69, who was one of his four rivals in the DPJ's presidential election Monday, as a move to underscore party unity.
But concern is growing among some DPJ members that focusing too much on party unity could prevent Noda from coordinating government policy.
Ozawa and most of his loyal supporters are opponents of tax hikes. While Noda has signaled his readiness for Japan to join the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks, farm minister Kano has been reluctant to do so.
Ozawa welcomed the new Cabinet lineup, saying, ''This is so good,'' according to his allies. But a senior DPJ lawmaker close to DPJ policy chief Seiji Maehara, an anti-Ozawa lawmaker, said, ''I'm skeptical whether the team can help the DPJ to turn around.''
Takeshi Maeda, 73, head of the upper house Budget Committee, became land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister, while former education minister Tatsuo Kawabata, 66, took up the position of internal affairs and communications minister.
Former DPJ Diet affairs chief Yoshio Hachiro, 63, became economy, trade and industry minister. Postal reform minister Shozaburo Jimi, 65, a member of the DPJ's coalition partner the People's New Party, also kept his post.
The Cabinet was formally inaugurated with an attestation ceremony at the Imperial Palace in the afternoon.
After arranging the Cabinet's lineup, Noda has to scale up efforts to deal with the divided Diet, where opposition parties control the upper house and have prevented the ruling party from concentrating on legislation.
The prime minister on Friday called for cooperation from the opposition camp again, saying he hopes that the DPJ can map out policies on reconstruction and economic matters for the public, together with Japan's two largest opposition parties.
Noda has asked the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party to help create a framework to discuss three issues -- how to grapple with the negative effects of the yen's surge and deflation, reconstructing the country following the March disaster, and tax reform.
