HASHIMOTO RESHUFFLES CABINET:
Obuchi Named Foreign Minister

September 30, 1997

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto was formally acclaimed president of the Liberal Democratic Party for a second two-year term on September 11 at a joint plenary meeting of party members of both houses of the National Diet.

He immediately set to work on reshuffling his cabinet, and by evening a new cabinet consisting only of LDP members--as in his previous administration--was inaugurated.

Former LDP Vice-President Keizo Obuchi was named Minister of Foreign Affairs. He will be called upon to oversee the bilateral review of the Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines and the hosting of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP3) in Kyoto in December.

One notable reappointment was Minister of Finance Hiroshi Mitsuzuka, who will be responsible for implementing fiscal and financial reforms.

Former Minister of Transport Kanezo Muraoka was named chief cabinet secretary, a post whose duties include serving as cabinet spokesman and chief aide to the prime minister.

Two ministers resigned shortly after the start of the new cabinet, and their successors were immediately named. Former Labor Minister Sadatoshi Ozato was selected to replace Koko Sato as director general of the Management and Coordination Agency, and former Education Minister Yoshinobu Shimamura took over the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries portfolio from Ihei Ochi.

Sato resigned on September 22, while Ochi stepped down three days later on September 25.

The full lineup of the reshuffled Hashimoto cabinet is as follows (the names of the ministers are followed by their age, house membership, and major posts held to date):

Prime Minister
Ryutaro Hashimoto (60)
Twelve-term member of the House of Representatives; Health and Welfare Minister; Transport Minister; Finance Minister; International Trade and Industry Minister.

Justice Minister
Kokichi Shimoinaba (71)
Two-term member of the House of Councillors; LDP Deputy Secretary General; Chairman, House of Councillors Committee on Education; Chairman, House of Councillors Committee on Rules and Administration.

Foreign Minister
Keizo Obuchi (60)
Twelve-term member of the House of Representatives; Chairman, House of Representatives Budget Committee; Chief Cabinet Secretary; LDP Vice-President.

Finance Minister
Hiroshi Mitsuzuka (70, reappointed)
Nine-term member of the House of Representatives; Transport Minister; International Trade and Industry Minister; Foreign Minister.

Education Minister
Nobutaka Machimura (52)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Education; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health and Welfare.

Health and Welfare Minister
Jun'ichiro Koizumi (55, reappointed)
Nine-term member of the House of Representatives; Health and Welfare Minister; Posts and Telecommunications Minister.

Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Minister
Yoshinobu Shimamura (63)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives; Chairman, LDP Diet Affairs Committee; Education Minister; Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.

International Trade and Industry Minister
Mitsuo Horiuchi (67)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Labor; Labor Minister.

Transport Minister
Takao Fujii (54)
Two-term member of the House of Representatives; formerly three-term member of the House of Councillors; Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Finance.

Posts and Telecommunications Minister
Shozaburo Jimi (51)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Communications; LDP Deputy Secretary General.

Labor Minister
Bunmei Ibuki (59)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education; LDP Deputy Secretary General.

Construction Minister
Tsutomu Kawara (60)
Nine-term member of the House of Representatives; Director General, Defense Agency.

Home Affairs Minister
Mitsuhiro Uesugi (55)
Two-term member of the House of Councillors; Chairman, House of Councillors Committee on Finance.

Chief Cabinet Secretary (State Minister)
Kanezo Muraoka (66)
Eight-term member of the House of Representatives; Posts and Telecommunications Minister; Transport Minister.

Director General, Management and Coordination Agency (State Minister)
Sadatoshi Ozato (67)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives; Labor Minister; Director General of the Hokkaido Development Agency and Okinawa Development Agency; State Minister in Charge of Earthquake Countermeasures.

Director General, Hokkaido Development Agency and Okinawa Development Agency (State Minister)
Muneo Suzuki (49)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives; Chairman, House of Representatives Special Committee on Okinawa and Northern Problems; LDP Deputy Secretary General.

Director General, Defense Agency (State Minister)
Fumio Kyuma (56, reappointed)
Six-term member of the House of Representatives; Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Transport; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance.

Director General, Economic Planning Agency (State Minister)
Koji Omi (64)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance.

Director General, Science and Technology Agency (State Minister)
Sadakazu Tanigaki (52)
Six-term member of the House of Representatives; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Administration.

Director General, Environment Agency (State Minister)
Hiroshi Oki (70)
Three-term member of the House of Councillors; Chairman, House of Councillors Committee on Commerce and Industry.

Director General, National Land Agency (State Minister)
Hisaoki Kamei (57)
Two-term member of the House of Representatives; formerly two-term member of the House of Councillors; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Communications.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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