New Japan cabinet kicks off to poor reviews

Mori, center, poses for a group photo with his new Cabinet members at his official residence on Tuesday night

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Japan's new cabinet kicked off on Wednesday into a storm of criticism that it was aimed more at prolonging Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's tenuous hold on power than tackling the numerous challenges facing the nation.

While the line-up is heavy with experience, including two former prime ministers, it has yet to erase doubts about Mori's leadership at a time when the world's second-largest economy is struggling to hold on to a fragile recovery.

In an editorial entitled "Weighty, yet shallow," the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun said: "Despite the unusual line-up of faces, including two former prime ministers, the impact of this cabinet is slight."

"There has never been another age when cabinets were as superficial as they are now."

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In a surprise move aimed at bolstering his shaky government, Mori tapped former premier Ryutaro Hashimoto as minister for administrative reform ahead of a rejigging of ministries to take effect in January.

One of Japan's most unpopular prime ministers ever, Mori hopes his new cabinet will boost his chances of staying in power until a crucial Upper House election set for July, having narrowly survived a rebellion from within his own ruling party last month.

Hashimoto joins another former prime minister, the 81-year-old Kiichi Miyazawa, who retained the finance portfolio in the first Japanese cabinet ever to contain two ex-premiers.

Other seasoned veterans, including Foreign Minister Yohei Kono and Justice Minister Masahiko Komura -- both seen as potential future prime ministers -- added lustre to the group.

Major newspapers, however, were uniformly scathing, focusing on a lack of concrete, fresh proposals to deal with the host of problems Japan faces, including a stubbornly depressed economy.

Data released on Monday showed Japan's economy only crawled ahead in the three months to September and worries are emerging that it may slip back into recession.

Mori and his main economic ministers, stuck to the government line of putting priority on recovery ahead of fiscal reform even while acknowledging that the latter is vital for a nation that has the biggest debt burden in the industrialized world.

"They are making much of the fact that two former prime ministers are in the group, but where is the pride in lining up faces from the past?" the Mainichi Shimbun said.

"The prime minister calls for reform, but we can't see any signs of reform in this cabinet whether you're talking about economic or foreign policy."

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori

The major surprise inclusion was Hashimoto, an outspoken politician who quit as premier in 1998 after the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost an Upper House election and who now heads the biggest faction in the multi-group party.

During his tenure, Hashimoto raised taxes and tightened spending only to see the economy slip back into recession.

Some analysts believe his acceptance of the cabinet post may be a long-shot gamble aimed at easing back into a major government position, perhaps even the premiership.

Others said his inclusion was an integral part of Mori's attempts to improve the image of his cabinet, which has been hit with support rates consistently below 20 percent.

The response of ordinary Japanese voters, however, suggested that this is unlikely to work.

"I think everything needs to be changed, not just the cabinet," one middle-aged Japanese businessman said, declining to be named. "Everyone involved in politics needs to be reshuffled for any changes to occur."

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Japanese Prime Minister's Office (English)

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