From the time he started his career as an official at the old Home Affairs Ministry, and then as governor of Tottori Prefecture, Yoshihiro Katayama has been pushing for decentralization of government power.
Now, as the new minister of internal affairs and communications, the 59-year-old Katayama is in prime position to advocate his pet policy — taking power and financial resources out of the hands of the central government and turning them over to local governments.
"The decentralization that the Democratic Party of Japan administration is seeking is my life's work," Katayama said at his first news conference.