Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori Tuesday inaugurated his new Cabinet, which includes two former prime ministers. Mori retained Kiichi Miyazawa as finance minister and named Ryutaro Hashimoto as special minister for administrative reform and chief of the Okinawa Development Agency. Effective Jan. 6, Hashimoto will also be in charge of policy for the Northern Territories dispute with Russia. Furthermore, Mori retained Yohei Kono, former president of the Liberal Democratic Party, as foreign minister and named other LDP heavyweights to Cabinet posts.
Describing his new Cabinet as one of "action and responsibility," Mori said the team will tackle radical economic reforms for Japan's rebirth in the 21st century. Newspapers touted the Cabinet as a group of big names that was intended to curb intra-LDP moves to unseat Mori. LDP dissidents led by Koichi Kato last month staged an abortive rebellion against Mori's government.
It is doubtful, however, if the new administration will succeed in eliminating public distrust of politics. The presence of many LDP heavyweights in the Cabinet could actually facilitate instability. What remains unchanged is Mori's lack of political skills and the secretiveness surrounding the establishment of his original Cabinet. Another problem is that conflict could arise if lesser officials in the Cabinet steal the political spotlight from their more famous colleagues. The political survival of an LDP Cabinet depends largely on the insight and leadership of the LDP president, who also serves as prime minister.