The Oct. 1 editorial "Unprepared for the post" properly faults Prime Minister Taro Aso for appointing a transport minister more interested in personal ideology than in public policy. It would have helped if the editorial had explained why Nariaki Nakayama appealed to Aso. What backing does Nakayama have in the Liberal Democratic Party? What signals did his appointment send to political supporters? Just how many other Diet members share his ideology?
These crucial details have been left out of news reporting to date. Since Nakayama demonstrated his foot-in-mouth technique when he served as education minister, Aso ought to have anticipated the risk in offering him a high-profile position. It would help readers to know what clout Nakayama brought that outweighed his known liabilities.
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