AP
Yoriko Kawaguchi

Japanese Prime Minister Yunichiro Koizumi has named a new foreign minister to replace Makiko Tanaka, who was forced to resign earlier this week. A government spokesman announced Friday that Yoriko Kawaguchi, who was head of the Environment Ministry, will become Japan's new top diplomat.

Lower House lawmaker Hiroshi Oki was named new Environment Minister.

Makiko Tanaka

Ms. Kawaguchi's appointment came after Sadako Ogata, Japan's envoy for Afghan Affairs and former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, turned down the offer for undisclosed personal reasons.

Prime Minister Koizumi fired Ms. Tanaka, the country's first female Foreign Minister, three days ago.

Ms. Tanaka was popular with Japanese voters for her blunt speaking style and promises to root out corruption. However, she often was at odds with other senior members of the Koizumi administration over policy priorities. She also was criticized for quarreling in public with her deputies.

Analysts say bad publicity surrounding Ms. Tanaka had threatened to derail Mr. Koizumi's policy plans. However, officials also say her firing has hurt the prime minister's popular standing.

According to one poll (by TV Tokyo), Mr. Koizumi's approval rating has fallen from 85 percent to 55 percent in the past three months.

The drop could make it more difficult for the Prime Minister to enact economic reforms, as he has repeatedly pledged. Analysts say some of the leader's rivals may try to take advantage of the sharp drop in popularity to undermine his reform efforts.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

Email this article to a friend
Printer Friendly Version