News Farm minister to stay despite BSE blunders

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Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi confirmed April 3 that he would retain Tsutomu Takebe in his Cabinet despite increasing calls for the agriculture minister to resign over last year's outbreak of mad cow disease.

"At a time when we are launching wide-ranging reforms for the agriculture ministry and food safety, why on earth should we replace Mr. Takebe, who is the man most aware of the problems and the kinds of reforms we need?" Koizumi said.

The debate over Takebe's fate reached new heights April 2 when a government panel released a report pinning much of the blame for the outbreak of mad cow disease, formally called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, on past ministry inaction.

The findings resulted in 16 senior officials being punished, including Takebe who will return six months of his salary.

The report also pointed to the need for an independent organization to take charge of food safety, to be set up in the next six months.

But the panel has also watered down criticism of Liberal Democratic Party politicians, contained in an early draft in March, who had been found to have improperly influenced farm ministry policies.

武部農相、続投決まる

昨年のBSE (牛海綿状脳症、狂牛病）の発生をめぐり、武部勤農相の辞任を求める声が高まっているが、小泉純一郎首相は3日、農相の辞任を否定した。

Shukan ST: April 12, 2002

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