New cabinet under P.M. Koizumi inaugurated

Following the election in parliament of Koizumi Jun'ichiro (Liberal Democratic Party president) as the new prime minister of Japan, the Koizumi Cabinet which consists of the Liberal Democratic, Komei, and Conservative parties, was inaugurated on April 26.

Commenting on the Koizumi Cabinet, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo said, "The new cabinet is not as new as it looks. Contrary to his promise to change the LDP, the new cabinet has no power to change the basic policy and framework of the LDP."

Characterizing the Koizumi cabinet, Shii said that the appointment of Ishihara Nobuteru as state minister in charge of administrative reform, Yanagisawa Hakuo as state minister in charge of financial affairs, and Takenaka Heizo as minister of economic, fiscal and IT policy means that the new cabinet is intended to further help major banks "dispose of bad loans" and set up a system for purchasing shares.

Referring to the appointments of Nakatani Gen as the Defense Minister and Yamasaki Taku as LDP secretary general, Shii said that this indicates a marked shift toward establishing Japan's right to collective self-defense.

Both Nakatani and Yamasaki visited the U.S. last January to meet with Richard L. Armitage (now U.S. deputy Secretary of State) who called for Japan to adopt the right to collective self-defense.

Noting that the two politicians virtually accepted the U.S. demand, Shii said, "With these politicians taking key positions in the new cabinet and the LDP, the new government is geared up for implementing the right to collective self-defense in violation of the Constitution. We must be on our guard."

"The Koizumi cabinet is thus characterized by its two major policies: One is support for major banks, and the other the assertion of the right to collective self-defense. This means that these two major approaches, which conflict with the people's interests, have appeared naked before us," Shii added. (end)