Koizumi Cabinet gearing up toward establishing right to collective self-defense

The new cabinet Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro formed on April 26 has influential politicians who will help promote the economic policy that favors major banks and attempts to revise the Constitution in order to enable Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense.

Yanagisawa Hakuo, who remains as state minister in charge of the Financial Services Agency, used 7.46 trillion yen in taxpayers money for helping major banks when he was the first chair of the Financial Reconstruction Commission.

State Minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy Takenaka Heizo, who is also professor at Keio University, was a member of the Economic Strategy Council and the IT Strategy Council under the Obuchi and Mori cabinets which promoted the use of taxpayers money for major banks. In his book he said, "Injection of public money into banks was put on track thanks to the efforts of the Economic Strategy Council."

Ishihara Nobuteru, state minister in charge of administrative reform, masterminded the scheme of injecting public funds, while serving as the secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party Special Study Committee on this issue.

The cabinet also includes influential members who want the Constitution revised.

Defense Agency Director General Nakatani Gen is a graduate of the National Defense Academy. He and Yamasaki Taku, former LDP Policy Research Council chair, went to the U.S. in January and were encouraged by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to make efforts to establish the right to collective self-defense for Japan.

Nakatani in the May issue of the LDP magazine "Jiyu Minshu" said, "There is no country in the world that has neither armed forces nor a right to collective self-defense. It is time for Japan to make the decision to have the right." He calls for interpretational changes in the Constitution to allow Japan to take joint military actions with the U.S. Forces.

Hiranuma Takeo, who has been reappointed as minister of economy, trade, and industry, has called for the establishment of a new Constitution while serving as the secretary of a parliamentarian movement called the "Nippon Conference" for promoting the revision of the Constitution.

State Minister in charge of disaster prevention and National Public Safety Commission Chair Murai Jin is also an advocate of constitutional revision.

The appointment of Tanaka Makiko as foreign minister is her reward for helping Koizumi win the LDP presidency, and also a tactic to attract the public in the House of Councillors election, said Akahata on April 27. (end)