Junichiro Koizumi re-elected as Japan's Prime Minister

On September 21, Junichiro Koizumi was re-elected as Japan's Prime Minister on the first day of a special session of the Diet, ten days after his party's landslide victory in the election for the House of Representatives. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) captured a total of 296 seats, the second largest figure in its 50-year history, and up from 212 held before the election. Combining this number with the seats gained by the New Komeito Party gives the ruling coalition a total of 327 seats - more than two-thirds of the 480 seats in the Lower House.

On the same day, Mr Koizumi reappointed all 17 members of his second Cabinet, including Nobutaka Machimura as Foreign Minister. This third Cabinet line-up will be maintained until the 42-day special Diet session ends on November 1, after which the Cabinet and the LDP leadership are expected to be reshuffled.

At a press conference held after his re-election, Mr Koizumi said that he would try to consolidate the process of economic revitalisation without resorting to fiscal outlays in the last budget compilation under his administration. He also cited fiscal decentralisation, reining in government personnel costs and Japan's humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Iraq as issues that he would address during his remaining one-year term after postal privatisation - the centrepiece of his policy agenda.

Prime Minister Tony Blair was one of the foreign leaders who called Prime Minister Koizumi on September 12 to congratulate him on his party's big victory. Mr Blair said that he wished to join efforts to tackle the common problems that face the international community.

Related link: Official website of Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet

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