Japan faces backlash from farm lobbies as TPP’s ratification — News Analysis

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has appointed a minister charged with spearheading his effort to halt the slide in Japan’s population, which the premier has made the centerpiece of his new plan to revive the world’s third-largest economy.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Finance Minister Taro Aso and Economics Minister Akira Amari were among those who retained their portfolios.

Motoo Hayashi was named trade and industry minister, with Hiroshi Moriyama appointed in the environment post. Hiroshi Hase, a former professional wrestler, replaced Hakubun Shimomura as education minister.

The reshuffle comes as Abe turns to the economy after pushing through unpopular security legislation last month – a move perceived as an attempted diversion from the security legislation that had triggered heated public protests.

“A huge economic zone will emerge… the TPP will make our lives more prosperous”, Abe said in a televised news conference after a dozen nations reached a deal on the long-awaited Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). However, despite her appointment, the number of women in Abe’s cabinet fell from five to three, signaling a setback in Abe’s attempt to include more women in his ministerial team.

“We welcome that tariffs on automobile parts will be removed immediately between Japan and the United States, and with Canada, relatively high tariffs on vehicles will be removed in a short period of time“, Fumihiko Ike, chairman of Honda as well as of the Japan Automobile Manufacturing Association, said in a statement.

Kato is tasked with coordinating policies to try to raise the low fertility rate, reform the creaking social security system and boost growth, targets central to a platform Abe hopes will woo voters ahead of an upper house election next July.

Ministers from the Hosoda faction, which Abe had belonged to, have increased from two to four in the reshuffled Cabinet, while the Kishida faction decreased to one from the five ministers before the reshuffle.

As for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)’s junior coalition partner, Komeito, the party’s policy chief Keiichi Ishii, 57, will replace fellow Komeito legislator Akihiro Ota, 70, in the latter’s current position of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister.

Abe has been trying to demonstrate renewed commitment to fixing the stale economy.

Abe vowed to stabilize the population at 100 million to build a society where all Japanese contribute to achieve the goals.

Japan’s economy contracted at a 1.2 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter.