New Koizumi Cabinet will impose on citizens heavier burden

Commenting on Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro's Cabinet reshuffle on September 30, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo stated that it shows Koizumi's eagerness to write off bad loans by using public funds as well as to enact the wartime legislation.

Koizumi appointed Takenaka Heizo, who is enthusiastic about using tax money to rescue the financial institutions in trouble as the Financial Services Minister. Takenaka will also continue to serve as Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister.

On the other hand, Defense Agency Director General Nakatani Gen, who was questioned about his responsibility for the Defense Agency list of citizens' personal information, was replaced by Ishiba Shigeru, who is also eager to enact the wartime legislation.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda Yasuo, who had been criticized for his remarks concerning the need for revision of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, maintained his post, as did Finance Minister Shiokawa Masajuro, who said that he had "forgotten" about his diversion of "secret funds."

Eleven ministers remained in the cabinet, including Health, Welfare, and Labor Minister Sakaguchi Chikara, and Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Minister Ogi Chikage.

Pointing out that using tax money for the disposal of bad loans will only worsen the situation, JCP Shii at a press conference emphasized that the new cabinet will destroy the Japanese economy and violate the constitutional ban on use of armed forces abroad in order to cooperate with U.S. interventionary forces. (end)