Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori reorganized his Cabinet on Tuesday. It continues the tripartite ruling alliance of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the Conservative Party, even though each party lost seats in the June 25 Lower House election. This new Cabinet is officially referred to as the prime minister's "second" Cabinet, but it is the first administration that Mr. Mori has put together at his own initiative.
The first Mori Cabinet, hastily assembled in early April after the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi was hospitalized, experienced an identity crisis of sorts. It was widely seen as a de facto extension of the Obuchi Cabinet. That is not surprising since there was no time to map out new policy initiatives. Instead, Mr. Mori reappointed all members of the previous administration and vowed to carry on faithfully all the policies pursued by his predecessor.
Even in the newly shuffled Cabinet, key ministers have been retained. Foreign Minister Yohei Kono is essential to ensuring diplomatic continuity. That is especially important given the role he will play in hosting the Kyushu-Okinawa summit meeting of leading industrialized nations to be held this month. Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa and Mr. Taichi Sakaiya, the director general of the Economic Planning Agency, also will continue serving in the same Cabinet posts.