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New system of LDP-------Koizumi showed his way of cabinet reshuffle by "Abe secretary-general"

This is the Koizumi's way of cabinet reshuffle,which make us feel his deliberation and calculation.

Primeminister Koizumi,who was reelected as a president of LDP is going to inaugurate his reshuffled cabinet on 22th. Before that, he chose Mr.Abe as a LDP's secretary general in the personnel change of LDP's three top-ranking officials.

He has been elected as the member of the House of Representatives for three times, but he has never held any minister nor had enough experience for practical party affairs. He is 49 years old, following ex-PM Tanaka and Liberal party leader Mr. Ozawa who had been inaugurated as the party's secretary general at the age of 49. This is really an extraorginal personal change.

The first thing that he considered for the personal chage is supposed to be the coming general election which is expected to be held in November. It has been said that LDP cannot win the election if Mr.Yamasaki who has a lot of gossips about his girlfriends will stay in the position of a secretary general. Mr.Yamasaki was moved to the vice president of LDP and Mr.Abe who is popular among people because of his clear-cut attitude against the problem of the abduction by North Korea was appointed as a secretary general.

But his ability as a secretary genaral is unknow at all.

As for Mr.Yamasaki, Mr.Aoki and ex-Primeminister Mori have demanded to change his post. It was supposed that Koizumi tried to maintain harmonius relations in the new mainstream faction by accepting Mr.Aoki's intention and saving Mr.Yamasaki's face at the same time.

It is also supposed that Koizumi aims at leaving Mr.Yamasaki, who is Koizumi's closest friend, as it has been as the intermediary between his cabinet and the ruling party by giving him a role as a guardian of Mr.Abe.

As a policy chief, Koizumi chose Mr.Nukaga who is the deputy secretary general of LDP and who is supported by Mr.Aoki in the Hashimoto faction. And Mr.Horiuchi was remained as a chief of the executive council. These came from Koizumi's consideration for Mr.Aoki and Mr.Horiuchi, who gave a great influence on the presidential election in favor of Koizumi. On the whole, he built up the structure in which a new mainstream camp runs the LDP.

The coming general election will be directly connected to LDP's ups and downs. It is natural that PM.Koizumi who also is the party's president did a personal change in the way of putting importance on the measure for the general election.

But in the case of the reshuffling his cabinet, which is in charge of running the government, he shouldn't do that kind of personal change.

What he should put most importance on is ministers connectiong to economy. The most important issue which Koizumi cabinet faces is economic policy for real economic reconstruction.

Signs of recovery of an economic condition appears now. Koizumi have to put Japan on the track of real economic recovery with adopting all of possible policies for boosting domestic consumption.

Foreign minister who has difficult issues such as North korea issue, Iraq issue, should be carefully chosen too. And Koizumi cabinet has other difficult issues. One is reconstructing social security system in which the source of revenues is critical. Other are the reform of school system and the decentralization of govermental power and so on.

He needs not only a slogan but also a powerful cabinet which can get its policies done.