Hatsuhisa Takashima, newly appointed as the first press secretary for the Foreign Ministry to come out of the private sector, vowed Friday to be a new breed of government spokesman.
Takashima, 61, a former NHK journalist, said at his first news conference he wants to break out of the traditional bureaucratic mold of reading out prepared statements and answering questions in accordance with these statements.
"I want to get into the center of the policymaking process, discuss policy options, and make my own judgment about what to convey," he said.
"In a way, I am being used as an experiment. If I don't make a difference, there is no meaning in bringing in a person from the private sector."
During his time with NHK, Takashima covered an extensive range of international news, working as a correspondent in Washington and London.
His appointment illustrates the aim of Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi to reform the ministry by appointing outside experts to senior posts.