Junichiro Koizumi

Junichiro Koizumi (Japanese: ?????, Koizumi Jun'ichir?, born January 8, 1942) is the current Prime Minister of Japan. Since winning leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2001, he has become known as an advocate of reform, focusing on Japan's government debt and the privatization of its postal service. In 2005, he led the LDP to win one of the largest parliamentary majorities in modern Japanese history.

Koizumi cabinets

Since Koizumi's appointment, he has appointed four cabinets, with new appointments in September 2003, October 2003 and September 2004. The fourth Koizumi Cabinet, appointed on September 27, 2004, has now been dissolved.

Related Topics:
September 27 - 2004

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

First cabinet (April 2001)

Koizumi's first cabinet retained seven members of the previous cabinet of Yoshiro Mori: Health Minister Chikara Sakaguchi, Economy Minister Takeo Hiranuma, Communications Minister Toranosuke Katayama, Transport Minister Chikage Ogi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, and State Minister for Financial Affairs Hakuo Yanagisawa.

Related Topics:
Yoshiro Mori - Chikara Sakaguchi - Takeo Hiranuma - Toranosuke Katayama - Chikage Ogi - Yasuo Fukuda - Hakuo Yanagisawa

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The two strongest posts in the new cabinet, finance and foreign affairs, were given to two key Koizumi supporters in the Diet: Masajuro Shiokawa and Makiko Tanaka respectively. Tanaka was fired on January 29, 2002 and replaced by Yoriko Kawaguchi. Tanaka and Kawaguchi were both among five women serving on the first Koizumi cabinet, the largest number of female cabinet members in Japanese history.

Related Topics:
Masajuro Shiokawa - Makiko Tanaka - January 29 - 2002 - Yoriko Kawaguchi

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other new members of the first Koizumi cabinet included State Minister of Administrative and Regulatory Reforms Nobuteru Ishihara (son of Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara), Defense Agency Director Gen Nakatani, and Agriculture Minister Tsutomu Takebe.

Related Topics:
Nobuteru Ishihara - Shintaro Ishihara - Gen Nakatani - Tsutomu Takebe

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Second cabinet (September 2003)

The second Koizumi cabinet retained eleven of seventeen members. Koizumi's best-known change in the second cabinet was the addition of Heizo Takenaka as State Minister for Financial Affairs. Takenaka survived later reshuffles and became Koizumi's chief ally in the debate over the privatization of Japan Post and other fiscal issues. Shigeru Ishiba replaced Nakatani as head of the Defense Agency.

Related Topics:
Heizo Takenaka - Japan Post - Shigeru Ishiba

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Midway through the second cabinet, Agriculture Minister Tadamori Oshima was forced to resign amid accusations of office corruption. Koizumi replaced Oshima with Yoshiyuki Kamei, a major factional leader in the LDP.

Related Topics:
Tadamori Oshima - Yoshiyuki Kamei

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Third cabinet (October 2003)

In Koizumi's third cabinet, only seven of the seventeen members (Kawaguchi, Sakaguchi, Kamei, Fukuda, Ishiba, and Takenaka) were retained. Shoichi Nakagawa replaced Hiranuma as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Sadakazu Tanigaki replaced Shiokawa as Minister of Finance. Ishihara was promoted to transport minister.

Related Topics:
Shoichi Nakagawa - Sadakazu Tanigaki

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fourth cabinet (September 2004)

The fourth Koizumi cabinet retained only six members: Tanigaki, Nakagawa, Takenaka, Internal Affairs Minister Taro Aso, Environment Minister Yuriko Koike, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda kept their previous positions. Former Education Minister Nobutaka Machimura replaced Kawaguchi as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Related Topics:
Taro Aso - Yuriko Koike - Hiroyuki Hosoda - Nobutaka Machimura

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~