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MORI STAYS AT THE HELM:
New Cabinet to Focus on Immediate Tasks
July 13, 2000
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The second Mori cabinet; Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori stands at front and center. (Prime Minister's Office)
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On July 4 Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori formally launched his second cabinet, which includes members of the New Komeito and New Conservative Party--the partners in the ruling coalition led by Mori's Liberal Democratic Party. For Mori, whose first cabinet consisted entirely of the members of Keizo Obuchi's cabinet, this is in effect the first cabinet of his own. Mori stepped in as prime minister after Obuchi was hospitalized in early April due to a stroke. (Obuchi passed away in mid-May.) Mori has retained his key ministers, however, setting his sights on the immediate tasks facing him.
In anticipation of the G8 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit meetings, whose meeting of finance ministers was held on July 8, 2000, and foreign ministers from July 12 to 13, Kiichi Miyazawa and Yohei Kono have been reappointed as finance minister and foreign minister, respectively.
In keeping with his decision to maintain his initial economic revitalization policy, moreover, Mori asked Taichi Sakaiya to continue as chief of the Economic Planning Agency. Sakaiya is one of two nonpoliticians in the cabinet, the other being Yoriko Kawaguchi, managing director of liquor producer Suntory, who was appointed Environment Agency chief.
Two members from the LDP's coalition partners are included in the new cabinet. Kunihiro Tsuzuki of the New Komeito will stay on as chief of the Management and Coordination Agency, while the New Conservative Party is represented by party leader Chikage Ogi, who will be filling the post of construction minister and National Land Agency chief.
The new Mori cabinet will aim for full-fledged economic recovery, an overhaul of Japan's education system, and reform of the nation's economic structure--particularly by promoting the information-technology revolution. In accordance with the third objective, the newly named chief cabinet secretary and Okinawa Development Agency chief, Hidenao Nakagawa, will simultaneously act as the minister in charge of IT affairs.
The key members of the new Mori cabinet are as follows (the names of the ministers are followed by their age, house membership, and major posts held to date):
Prime Minister
Yoshiro Mori (62)
Eleven-term member of the House of Representatives; Construction Minister; International Trade and Industry Minister; Education Minister; LDP Secretary General.
Justice Minister
Okiharu Yasuoka (61)
Nine-term member of the House of Representatives; LDP Deputy Secretary General; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Finance; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for National Land.
Foreign Minister
Yohei Kono (63)
Twelve-term member of the House of Representatives; Director General, Science and Technology Agency (State Minister); Deputy Prime Minister; Chief Cabinet Secretary (State Minister).
Finance Minister
Kiichi Miyazawa (80)
Two-term member of the House of Councillors and twelve-term member of the House of Representatives; International Trade and Industry Minister; Foreign Minister; Chief Cabinet Secretary (State Minister); Prime Minister.
Education Minister and Director General, Science and Technology Agency (State Minister)
Tadamori Oshima (53)
Six-term member of the House of Representatives; Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; LDP Deputy Secretary General; Director General, Environment Agency (State Minister).
Health and Welfare Minister
Yuji Tsushima (70)
Nine-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Health and Welfare; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Transport; Health and Welfare Minister.
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Minister
Yoichi Tani (73)
Nine-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Home Affairs; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Construction; Director General, Hokkaido Development Agency and Okinawa Development Agency (State Minister).
International Trade and Industry Minister
Takeo Hiranuma (60)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Finance; Minister of Transport; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Administration.
Transport Minister and Director General, Hokkaido Development Agency (State Minister)
Hajime Morita (66)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Home Affairs; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Transport; Deputy Chairman, LDP General Council.
Posts and Telecommunications Minister
Kozo Hirabayashi (69)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives; Governor of Tottori Prefecture; LDP Deputy Secretary General; Senior State Secretary for Home Affairs.
Labor Minister
Yoshio Yoshikawa (68)
Three-term member of the House of Councillors; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Justice; Deputy Chairman, LDP General Council.
Construction Minister and Director General, National Land Agency (State Minister)
Chikage Ogi (67)
Four-term member of the House of Councillors; Representative, New Conservative Party; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Science and Technology.
Home Affairs Minister and Chairman, National Public Safety Commission (State Minister)
Mamoru Nishida (72)
Eight-term member of the House of Representatives; Director General, National Land Agency; Home Affairs Minister and Chairman, National Public Safety Commission (State Minister).
Chief Cabinet Secretary and Director General, Okinawa Development Agency (State Minister)
Hidenao Nakagawa (56)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for International Trade and Industry; Director General, Science and Technology Agency (State Minister).
Director General, Management and Coordination Agency (State Minister)
Kunihiro Tsuzuki (69)
Two-term member of the House of Councillors; Chairman, House of Councillors Committee on Judicial Affairs; Chairman, House of Councillors Committee on Oversight of Administration.
Director General, Defense Agency (State Minister)
Kazuo Torashima (72)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Management and Coordination; LDP Deputy Secretary General.
Director General, Economic Planning Agency (State Minister)
Taichi Sakaiya (64)
Author; economic critic; former bureaucrat, Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
Director General, Environment Agency (State Minister)
Yoriko Kawaguchi (59)
Managing Director, Suntory; Councilor, Ministry of International Trade and Industry; Minister, Japanese Embassy in the United States.
Chairman, Financial Reconstruction Commission (State Minister)
Kimitaka Kuze (71)
Three-term member of the House of Councillors; Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries; Deputy Chairman, LDP Policy Research Council.
 Copyright (c) 2000 Japan Information Network. 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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