In a move greeted coolly by his own party, Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama on Tuesday named Vice President Kansei Nakano as secretary general.
The unexpected appointment, approved later at the party's convention, came a day after Hatoyama won a close runoff with former Secretary General Naoto Kan for leadership of Japan's largest opposition party.
"I believed it was essential to strengthen solidarity within the party," Hatoyama explained to reporters, adding that he expects his new No. 2 to smoothen internal friction that surfaced during the election.