Perspectives

New DPJ executive office lineup shows Kan's attempt to eliminate Ozawa's influence

The lineup of the newly formed executive office of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has illustrated Prime Minister-elect Naoto Kan's attempt to eliminate party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa's influence on the government.

The way the party will be managed is likely to drastically change under the slogan of "transparency," which former State Minister for Government Revitalization Yukio Edano, a staunch critic of Ozawa, repeatedly used at a news conference.

Kan named Edano to replace the DPJ heavyweight who resigned as party secretary-general earlier this month. Kan mainly appointed anti-Ozawa members as heads of the DPJ's Policy Research Committee, Election Campaign Committee and Financial Committee among other top posts.

The Policy Research Committee, which was abolished on the initiative of Ozawa, has been revived, while anti-Ozawa members are controlling the party's election campaign, which had been previously led by Ozawa.

In particular, members of Ryoun-kai, an intraparty group led by Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Seiji Maehara, who is also a staunch opponent of Ozawa, have been given important party posts.

Edano, Policy Research Committee Chairman Koichiro Genba, Election Campaign Committee Chaiman Jun Azumi, Financial Committee Chairwoman Yoko Komiyama, as well as former State Minister for National Policy Yoshito Sengoku, who is to be appointed as chief Cabinet secretary, belong to Ryoun-kai.

Most of them are mid-ranking legislators who are not from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), in sharp contrast to the previous executive office led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Ozawa, who were previously members of the LDP.

Legislators close to Ozawa, who have been given high-ranking posts this time, are younger members, including Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Shinji Tarutoko and Acting Secretary-General Goshi Hosono.

Senior legislators Hajime Ishii and Kenji Yamaoka have been appointed as deputy leaders, viewed largely as ceremonial posts.

When asked about the differences between the new executive office and the old one led by Ozawa, Edano said, "The average age is very different. There are differences in political careers between members of the new and old executive offices. There are also differences in their political styles."

Kan is relying on DPJ legislators who have never belonged to the LDP -- which had been in power almost without interruptions for decades -- in his efforts to eliminate Ozawa's influence on party management.

Moreover, the lineup of the new leadership shows that Kan attached particular importance on members' policy-making abilities, a departure from the party's emphasis on its election strategy.

Edano expressed confidence about his ability to work out policies that will satisfy the public. "I'd like to make use of my strength of convincing the public through debates."

Genba had called for the revival of the party's Policy Research Committee since Ozawa was secretary-general.

The new leadership will pay close attention to a wider variety of policy issues, including those that will not directly lead to votes for the DPJ, unlike the Ozawa leadership that placed top priority on election strategy.

Genba, who will double as a Cabinet minister, emphasized that he will unify the government's policy-making process by sufficiently coordinating views between the Cabinet and the ruling coalition's policymakers.

"As I also serve as head of the party's Policy Research Committee, my approval of decisions at a Cabinet meeting means that the ruling party also approves the policy decisions," he said. (By Yu Takayama and Takenori Noguchi, Political News Department, and Yuri Hirabayashi, Shizuoka Bureau)

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