KOIZUMI LAUNCHES RESHUFFLED CABINET
Structural Reform Remains the Goal (October 3, 2003)
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| P.M. Koizumi and his new cabinet. (Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office) |
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After winning reelection as president of the Liberal Democratic
Party, Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro in the afternoon of September 22 carried
out a cabinet reshuffle and launched his second reshuffled cabinet. Of the 17
ministerial posts, Prime Minister Koizumi retained six ministers, including Minister
for Foreign Affairs Kawaguchi Yoriko, Minister of State (Defence) Ishiba Shigeru,
and Minister of State (Financial Services, Economic and Fiscal Policy) Takenaka
Heizo, and newly appointed 11 others, including Minister of Finance Tanigaki Sadakazu
(chairman of the National Public Safety Commission in the previous Koizumi cabinet)
and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nakagawa Shoichi.
In a press conference after the reshuffle, Prime Minister Koizumi commented, "We
have carried out various reforms for two years and several months under stringent
economic circumstances and are now seeing buds of the results. We must ensure
that these buds become a mighty tree. In other words, a significant point at issue
was whether the reform policy is right or not."
He also remarked, "The basic policy of 'no growth without reform' must be
promoted further. Although there have been voices from within the party to change
the members of the cabinet on this occasion I have rather judged that the time
has come for the structural reform policy to be further promoted with clarity
and acuity, and have reshuffled my cabinet accordingly. The cabinet to date has
done an excellentt job."
The new cabinet lineup is as follows:
Prime Minister
Koizumi Junichiro (61)
Ten-term member of the House of Representatives; Minister of Health and Welfare;
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications; Chairman of the Committee on Finance,
House of Representatives.
Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and
Telecommunications
Aso Taro (63)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives; State Minister in Charge of
Economic and Fiscal Policy; Chairman of the Policy Research Council, Liberal Democaratic
Party.
Minister of Justice
Nozawa Daizo (70)
Three-term member of the House of Councillors; Chairman of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, House of Councillors; Chairman of the Special Committee to Promote the
Construction of Super Express Train Lines (Seibi-Shinkansen), LDP.
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Kawaguchi Yoriko (62)
Former bureaucrat, Ministry of International Trade and Industry; Minister of the
Environment.
Minister of Finance
Tanigaki Sadakazu (58)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives; Chairman of the National Public
Safety Commission; State Minister in Charge of the Financial Reconstruction Commission.
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology
Kawamura Takeo (60)
Four-term member of the House of Representatives; Senior Vice-Minister of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Chairman of the Committee on Education,
House of Representatives.
Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare
Sakaguchi Chikara (69)
Eight-term member of the House of Representatives; Minister of Labor; Vice-Representative
of the New Komeito.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Kamei Yoshiyuki (67)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives; Minister of Transport; Chairman
of the Party Organization Headquarters, LDP.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
Nakagawa Shoichi (50)
Six-term member of the House of Representatives; Minister of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries; Chairman of the Public Relation Headquarters, LDP.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Ishihara Nobuteru (46)
Four-term member of the House of Representatives; State Minister in Charge of
Administrative and Regulatory Reform; Parliamentary Vice-Minister of International
Trade and Industry.
Minister of the Environment
Koike Yuriko (51)
Three-term member of the House of Representatives and one-term member of the House
of Councillors; Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economic Planning.
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Fukuda Yasuo (67)
Four-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister
for Foreign Affairs; Chairman of the Finance Committee, LDP.
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission
Ono Kiyoko (67)
Three-term member of the House of Councillors; Parliamentary Vice-Minister of
the Environment.
Minister of State (Defence)
Ishiba Shigeru (46)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives; Senior Vice-Minister of Defense.
Minister of State (Okinawa and Northern Territories
Affairs)
Motegi Toshimitsu (47)
Three-term member of the House of Representatives; Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign
Affairs.
Minister of State (Financial Services, Economic and
Fiscal Policy)
Takenaka Heizo (52)
Professor of Keio University; Member of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy.
Minister of State (Regulatory Reform, Industrial Revitalization
Corporation, Administrative Reform, and Special Zones for Structural Reform)
Kaneko Kazuyoshi (60)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister
of Construction; Chairman of the Committee on Finance, House of Representatives.
Minister of State (Disaster Management and National
Emergency Legislation)
Inoue Kiichi (71)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister
of Management and Coordination.
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Copyright (c) 2004 Web Japan. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.
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