Japan's newly appointed minister of economy, trade and industry said Wednesday that he will focus on bringing the economy back onto a sustainable growth track and pushing forward with the national energy policy of resuming nuclear power generation.
Motoo Hayashi, one of the 10 new ministers appointed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, vowed to lift Japan "completely" out of the deflation that has hobbled the world's third-biggest economy since the mid-1990's.
The pledge reflects Abe's new political campaign, as the prime minister is shifting his priority back to the economy from controversial security policy changes. But that poses a daunting challenge given the slowdown in China, the world's second-largest economy, which also threatens global economic growth.