The appointment earlier this week of Shoichi Nakagawa as minister of economy, trade and industry is a mixed blessing for the nation's trade policy.
A former agricultural minister and chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party commission on farm trade, Nakagawa, with his deep understanding of international agricultural issues, might help the nation better coordinate its trade policy.
But he might also cause turmoil within METI, which normally speaks for the nation's industrial sectors and often finds itself at odds with the LDP.