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Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (center) and members of his new Cabinet pose for a photo Sept. 27 at his official residence. |
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi formed a new 18-member Cabinet on Sept. 27, appointing former education minister Nobutaka Machimura to succeed Yoriko Kawaguchi as foreign minister and replacing 10 others, with mostly newcomers as state ministers.
But Koizumi retained Hiroyuki Hosoda as chief Cabinet secretary, Sadakazu Tanigaki as finance minister, Heizo Takenaka as economic and fiscal policy minister, and Taro Aso as internal affairs and communications minister, whose jurisdiction covers postal operations.
To press ahead with his key reform initiative, Koizumi assigned Takenaka to fill the newly created post of postal reform minister, while making him give up the financial services portfolio to Tatsuya Ito, who was senior vice minister in charge of financial services as well as fiscal and economic policy.
Takenaka told reporters the government will forge a specific system and make legal changes for postal reforms in accordance with the plan adopted by the Cabinet last month that calls for splitting Japan Post into four companies at the start of a 10-year privatization process in April 2007. (Kyodo)
Shukan ST: Oct. 8, 2004
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- Cabinet
- 内閣
- postal reforms
- 郵政改革
- succeed 〜
- 〜の後を継ぐ
- state ministers
- 国務大臣
- retained 〜 as 〜
- 〜を〜に留めた
- chief Cabinet secretary
- 官房長官
- economic and fiscal policy minister
- 経済財政相
- internal affairs and communications minister
- 総務相
- jurisdiction
- 管轄
- initiative
- 政策
- assigned 〜
- 〜を任命した
- postal reform minister
- 郵政民営化担当相
- financial services portfolio
- 金融相の職
- senior vice minister
- 副大臣
- forge 〜
- 〜を作り上げる
- in accordance with 〜
- 〜に従って
- adopted
- 承認された
- Japan Post
- 日本郵政公社
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