Finance minister's resignation a great blow to Hatoyama Cabinet
(From The Japan Times Jan. 8 issue)

財務相辞任、鳩山政権に痛手

Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii on Jan. 6 became the first member of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Cabinet to resign. Mr. Hatoyama picked Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan as his successor.

The departure of Mr. Fujii, attributed to poor health from overwork, will be a great blow to the Hatoyama administration because his expertise was valued as well as to Mr. Hatoyama personally because he was a close ally.

Mr. Fujii, the oldest member of the Cabinet at 77, played a central role in compiling the second fiscal 2009 supplementary budget and the fiscal 2010 budget. He was indispensable to an administration that has put priority on preventing a second dip in the economy. He was expected to be the key person for fielding tough budget-related questions from opposition forces during the regular Diet session due to start Jan. 18.

Without him, the administration is likely to have a hard time overcoming offensives from the opposition. That makes Mr. Kan's role all the more important as he will also be required to tackle the task of reworking the composition of the whole budget system for fiscal 2011 and beyond.

Mr. Fujii was hospitalized Dec. 28 for rest and medical tests after compilation of the fiscal 2010 budget was completed. He had faced difficult issues such as how to limit the issuance of government bonds when tax revenues were rapidly falling and how to keep the DPJ's main promises.

Before the Aug. 30 Lower House election, Mr. Fujii had announced his intention to retire from politics. In view of his experience with and knowledge of state finance, Mr. Hatoyama persuaded him to run in the election and he was successfully re-elected. Mr. Fujii, a former Finance Ministry bureaucrat, had served as finance minister from 1993 to 1994 when the Liberal Democratic Party was temporarily out of power.

Apparently, Mr. Fujii decided to resign now to avoid having to do so later ― sometime during the Diet session — due to his health. The DPJ and its coalition partners must strive to maintain unity in the administration in this time of transition.

藤井財務相が過労による体調不良で辞任、鳩山内閣初の閣僚交代となった。首相は後任に菅副首相を充てた。経験豊富で最年長閣僚の辞任は、政権にとって大きな打撃だ。

2009年度第2次補正予算と10年度予算編成を仕切り、二番底回避を優先する政権にとって不可欠な人物で、通常国会で野党の追及に答弁する要的な存在だった氏を欠いて、政権は厳しい局面に立たされる。菅氏は2011年以降の予算制度改革にも取り組む重要な役割が課された。

藤井氏は税収が落ち込むなか、国債発行の抑制や民主党の公約実施に苦心してきた。健康上の理由で国会中に辞任する事態を避けたのだろう。連立与党は一致団結して、転換のときを乗り越えなければならない。