Takaichi’s 2nd Cabinet Starts Work

Tokyo, Feb. 19 (Jiji Press)–The second cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi got up and running Thursday, a day after its launch. At an extraordinary cabinet meeting on the day, she decided to retain all 54 state ministers and parliamentary vice ministers. Takaichi, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was re-elected prime minister in votes in the Diet, the country’s parliament, Wednesday, following the party’s landslide victory in the Feb. 8 general election for the House of Representatives, the all-important lower Diet chamber. On the back of the big election win by the LDP, the second Takaichi cabinet is set to accelerate efforts to implement key policies, such as exempting food items from the consumption tax for a limited period of two years, strengthening the country’s defense capabilities and revising the Constitution. “Bearing in mind the grave responsibilities we have for people who credited the Takaichi administration in the general election, we will run the government humbly yet boldly while listening to various opinions,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference. Kihara also said that he has been instructed by Takaichi to boost information dissemination globally regarding Japan’s stance on territorial issues and its understanding of history. The move comes as China has been escalating its criticism of Japan in the international community since Takaichi made remarks last November over a possible contingency concerning Taiwan, which Beijing considers to be at the center of its core interests. Noting that there are growing threats of fake information from abroad amid the evolution of artificial intelligence technology, Kihara said, “It is critically important for us to make efforts to win understanding from countries around the world for the Japanese government’s stance, including on the recognition of history.” At a meeting Wednesday night, soon after its launch, the second Takaichi cabinet decided its basic stance of promoting policies with all its energy, setting three pillars–realizing a strong economy; energizing regional areas and protecting people’s daily lives; and boosting the country’s diplomatic, defense and information-gathering capabilities. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]