 Koizumi reshuffles his cabinet Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro reshuffled his cabinet on September 27, replacing eleven cabinet ministers and creating a new post for promoting postal privatization, the centerpiece of the Koizumi "reform" policy. Economy and Fiscal Policy Minister Takenaka Heizo is also in charge of postal privatization. Public Management Minister Aso Taro has stayed in office which includes the task of supervision of postal administration. The new foreign minister is Machirmura Nobutaka, who as education minister approved a history textbook that justifies Japan's war of aggression. The new cabinet lineup shows that ministers in charge of postal privatization and consumption tax rate increases remain in office, and that hawks were newly appointed to the posts overseeing foreign and defense affairs. Asked to comment on the reshuffled cabinet lineup, Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo said, "I have no special comment to make. The character of the Koizumi Cabinet won't change in that it tries to impose unendurable burdens on the people in the name of reform, prepares for a consumption tax rate increase, and tries to change Article 9 of the Constitution to enable Japan to fight wars abroad." He also pointed out that the Koizumi Cabinet from the outset has been calling for structural reform, which is another name for the law of the jungle and the principle of deregulation. He added that Takenaka is the only minister who has retained his post. Shii said, "The cabinet will have to face a deepening contradiction with the people and the crisis will spread. The JCP will stand firm against the Koizumi Cabinet with propositions in defense of the people's interests." (end) |