- 14 Mar 2002
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Today, Japan's parliament elected Fumio Kishida Japan's 100th prime minister.
One of his first actions was to move the Lower House election to 31 October. "It will be wise to hold the Lower House election at the earliest possible date when the public still has high expectations" for the new Cabinet, an LDP official said.
As if anyone had expectations.
It's good when things stay in the family:
Koizumi Jr. was booted for supporting Taro Kono.
Right-winger Sanae Takaichi, who shook hands with the chairman of Japan's neonazi party and advocates traditional gender roles, was appointed chairwoman of the Policy Research Council.
From Wikipedia:
And Taro Kono - although the public's favoured candidate - became the head of the LDP's public relations department. Clearly a "window seat", at least for the time being.
On his first day in office, Kishida launched a barrage of promises and policy statements:
PS: here's what the markets think of the new government:
One of his first actions was to move the Lower House election to 31 October. "It will be wise to hold the Lower House election at the earliest possible date when the public still has high expectations" for the new Cabinet, an LDP official said.
As if anyone had expectations.
Fumio Kishida's new administration features 13 rookie Cabinet ministers in an apparent attempt to provide a "fresh" image, but other picks show that old-fashioned political wheeling-and-dealing remains strong. All Cabinet members of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's administration resigned on the morning of Oct. 4, paving the way for Kishida to announce a lineup that he hopes can cement his identity as a politician. After his victory in the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election on Sept. 29, Kishida used senior party positions to reward those who had helped him win, including former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso. For example, Kishida on Oct. 1 named Akira Amari the new secretary-general of the party. Amari had worked with Abe and Aso to ensure Kishida would win the LDP presidential race. For his Cabinet appointments, Kishida seems determined to maintain a balance among older, late middle-aged and younger politicians.
It's good when things stay in the family:
Shunichi Suzuki, former chairman of the LDP's General Council, was named Finance Minister on Oct. 4, replacing Aso. Aso has held the post for about eight years and nine months, the longest in the postwar period, and some political watchers had expected Kishida to keep Aso in the position. Although replacing Aso may on the surface seem like disrespect to the former prime minister, it should be noted that Suzuki is a senior member of the Aso faction. He is also Aso's younger brother-in-law.
Koizumi Jr. was booted for supporting Taro Kono.
Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who endorsed Kono in the party's election, does not have a position in the Kishida administration.
Right-winger Sanae Takaichi, who shook hands with the chairman of Japan's neonazi party and advocates traditional gender roles, was appointed chairwoman of the Policy Research Council.
From Wikipedia:
Takaichi incured many controversies due to her views on history. She opposes Murayama Statement, which admits Japanese war crimes committed in World War II, denies comfort women being forced, and professed that she would visit Yasukuni Shrine if elected to the head of Liberal Democratic Party and Prime Minister. She used to endorse Hitler Election Strategy: A Bible for Certain Victory in Modern Elections and took a photo with Kazunari Yamada, a Holocaust denier and head of National Socialist Japanese Workers' Party, a neo-fascist party.
And Taro Kono - although the public's favoured candidate - became the head of the LDP's public relations department. Clearly a "window seat", at least for the time being.
On his first day in office, Kishida launched a barrage of promises and policy statements:
- his government will aim for economic growth and redistribution
- and consider tweaking the country's financial income tax rate will be among options in addressing income disparity
- it will uphold freedom, democracy, rule of law
- Kishida is willing to meet with N. Korea's Kim without preconditions
- he is considering cash handouts for people hit by COVID-19
- he vows to work toward a world without nuclear arms
PS: here's what the markets think of the new government:
Tokyo stocks plunged Monday, extending their losing streak to six days, as the market was disappointed by new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apparently prioritizing factional interests over injecting fresh faces into his Cabinet. […] "Disappointment over the incoming Kishida Cabinet continued to drag down the market after the public favorite Mr. Kono lost the LDP leadership race in the face of factional logic," said Norihiro Fujito, senior investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co.
Tokyo stocks plunge as new Kishida gov't disappoints market
Tokyo stocks plunged Monday, extending their losing streak to six days, as the market was disappointed by new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apparently prioritizing factional interests over injecting fresh faces into his Cabinet. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 326.18 points, or 1.13...
japantoday.com