Matsumoto takes over at foreign ministry
Source: Agencies |
March 10, 2011, Thursday
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EMBATTLED Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan promoted a junior cabinet minister to the top foreign affairs portfolio yesterday.
State Foreign Secretary Takeaki Matsumoto will take over from pro-US security hawk Seiji Maehara, who abruptly quit on Sunday after admitting he had taken about US$3,000 in donations from a South Korean national.
"The prime minister made the decision based on his (Matsumoto's) abilities and knowledge, as well as on his diplomatic consistency - the fact that he has been involved in some important matters as state foreign secretary," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
The resignation of Maehara, once seen as a likely successor to the unpopular Kan if he bows to pressure to quit, was a fresh blow to the premier and his Democratic Party of Japan as they fight to pass bills needed to implement a US$1 trillion budget for the year from April in a divided parliament.
With support for the government sinking to around 20 percent, opposition parties have pressured Kan to resign, adding to the political stalemate that has distracted the government from tackling deep-seated problems and crafting policies to curb Japan's massive public debt.
"At a time when Japan needs individuals with strong leadership potential, political leaders across the board in all parties - left and right - seem myopically focused on personality politics and short-term political gain," Sheila Smith, a senior fellow for Japan studies at the US Council on Foreign Relations, said in a blog entry.
"Japan desperately needs a forward leaning diplomatic and security strategy. It needs individuals who can advocate internationally on Japan's behalf. And more than ever, it needs strategic thinkers ... But this current frenzy of political ambition is becoming too costly."
Maehara's successor will have to hit the ground running, attending a Group of Eight ministerial meeting in Paris next week and a trilateral meeting with his counterparts from China and South Korea later this month.
Matsumoto faces a long list of diplomatic challenges.
Japan's relations with China chilled last year after Japan held a Chinese skipper after his trawler collided with Japanese patrol boats near China's Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.
Despite diplomatic headaches, Japan is increasingly dependent on China's economic strength. China has recently surpassed Japan as the world's second-biggest economy and has been Japan's biggest trading partner since 2009.
State Foreign Secretary Takeaki Matsumoto will take over from pro-US security hawk Seiji Maehara, who abruptly quit on Sunday after admitting he had taken about US$3,000 in donations from a South Korean national.
"The prime minister made the decision based on his (Matsumoto's) abilities and knowledge, as well as on his diplomatic consistency - the fact that he has been involved in some important matters as state foreign secretary," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
The resignation of Maehara, once seen as a likely successor to the unpopular Kan if he bows to pressure to quit, was a fresh blow to the premier and his Democratic Party of Japan as they fight to pass bills needed to implement a US$1 trillion budget for the year from April in a divided parliament.
With support for the government sinking to around 20 percent, opposition parties have pressured Kan to resign, adding to the political stalemate that has distracted the government from tackling deep-seated problems and crafting policies to curb Japan's massive public debt.
"At a time when Japan needs individuals with strong leadership potential, political leaders across the board in all parties - left and right - seem myopically focused on personality politics and short-term political gain," Sheila Smith, a senior fellow for Japan studies at the US Council on Foreign Relations, said in a blog entry.
"Japan desperately needs a forward leaning diplomatic and security strategy. It needs individuals who can advocate internationally on Japan's behalf. And more than ever, it needs strategic thinkers ... But this current frenzy of political ambition is becoming too costly."
Maehara's successor will have to hit the ground running, attending a Group of Eight ministerial meeting in Paris next week and a trilateral meeting with his counterparts from China and South Korea later this month.
Matsumoto faces a long list of diplomatic challenges.
Japan's relations with China chilled last year after Japan held a Chinese skipper after his trawler collided with Japanese patrol boats near China's Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.
Despite diplomatic headaches, Japan is increasingly dependent on China's economic strength. China has recently surpassed Japan as the world's second-biggest economy and has been Japan's biggest trading partner since 2009.
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