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First Abe Cabinet

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First Abe Cabinet

90th Cabinet of Japan
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (front row, centre) with the newly-elected cabinet inside the Kantei, September 26, 2006
Date formedSeptember 26, 2006
Date dissolvedSeptember 26, 2007
People and organisations
Head of stateEmperor Akihito
Head of governmentShinzo Abe
Member partyLDPNKP Coalition
Status in legislatureHoR: LDP-K Coalition supermajority
HoC: LDP-K Coalition majority
Opposition partyDemocratic Party of Japan
Opposition leaderIchirō Ozawa
History
Election2007 Councillors election
Legislature term172th National Diet
PredecessorThird Koizumi Cabinet
SuccessorFukuda Cabinet

The First Abe Cabinet governed Japan under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from September 2006 to September 2007.[1] The government was a coalition between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito and controlled both the upper and lower houses of the National Diet.The cabinet faced policy issues regarding government debts and the shrinking population. [2]

At a joint press conference Hakuo Yanagisawa, who was appointed Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, spoke to a number of issues including reform of the Social Insurance Agency, measures against the decline in the birthrate, the unification of the Employees Pension Plan and the Mutual Pension Plan for public servants, and revision of labor-related laws. [2]

At the onset Prime Minister Abe's approval rating was 70%, but dropped to 30% [3] prior to the 2007 House of Councilors election, which resulted in the LDP losing the Upper House to the Democratic Party of Japan and becoming the second party for the first time in its history. Abe subsequently resigned, citing health reasons.[4] Abe was criticized for not explaining his thinking enough to show where Japan was going. [3]

Background

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Abe was elected to the House of Representatives in 1993, and by 1999 was serving as Director of the Committee on Health and Welfare, and as Director of the Social Affairs Division of the Liberal Democratic Party. [1] In 2003, Abe was elected Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party, and two years later became Chief Cabinet Secretary.

Abe took office as the first Japanese Prime Minister born in the postwar period. [1]

Election of the prime minister

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Abe succeeded Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. He maintained Koizumi's emphasis on the U.S.-Japan alliance as the basis of national defense, but he wanted Japan to be a more equal partner. One goal of his administration was to revise Japan's constitution to normalize the use of military force.[1]

26 September 2006
Absolute majority (238/475) required
House of Representatives
Choice First Vote
Votes
checkYShinzo Abe
339 / 475
Ichirō Ozawa
136 / 475
Source
26 September 2006
Absolute majority (121/240) required
House of Councillors
Choice First Vote
Votes
checkYShinzo Abe
136 / 240
Ichirō Ozawa
104 / 240
Source

Lists of ministers

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  Liberal Democratic
  New Komeito
  Independent
R = Member of the House of Representatives
C = Member of the House of Councillors

Cabinet

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Abe announced his Cabinet on September 26, 2006.[1] The largest Mori faction in the Liberal Democratic Party received the most appointments.


First Abe Cabinet from September 26, 2006 to August 27, 2007
Portfolio Minister Term of office
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe R September 26, 2006 – September 26, 2007
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
Minister of State for Decentralization Reform
Minister of State for Privatization of the Postal Services
Yoshihide Suga R September 26, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Minister of Justice Jinen Nagase R September 26, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Minister of Foreign Affairs Tarō Asō R October 31, 2005 – August 27, 2007
Minister of Finance Kōji Omi R September 26, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Bunmei Ibuki R September 26, 2006 – September 26, 2007
Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare Hakuo Yanagisawa R September 26, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Toshikatsu Matsuoka C September 26, 2006 – May 28, 2007
Masatoshi Wakabayashi C May 28, 2007 – June 1, 2007
Norihiko Akagi R June 1, 2007 – August 1, 2007
Masatoshi Wakabayashi C August 1, 2007 – August 27, 2007
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari R September 26, 2006 – August 2, 2008
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Minister for Ocean Policy
Tetsuzo Fuyushiba R September 26, 2006 – August 2, 2008
Minister of the Environment
Minister in Charge of Global Environmental Problems
Masatoshi Wakabayashi C September 26, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Minister of Defense Fumio Kyūma R January 9, 2007 – July 4, 2007
Yuriko Koike R July 4, 2007 – August 27, 2007
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki R September 26, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Minister of State, Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission
Minister of State for Disaster Management
Kensei Mizote C September 26, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs
Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy
Minister of State for Innovation
Minister of State for Gender Equality
Minister of State for Social Affairs and Food Safety
Sanae Takaichi R September 26, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Minister of State for Financial Services Yuji Yamamoto R September 26, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Hiroko Ōta September 26, 2006 – September 26, 2007
Minister of State for Regulatory Reform Genichiro Sata R September 26, 2006 – December 28, 2006
Yoshimi Watanabe R December 28, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Deputy Secretaries
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Representatives) Hakubun Shimomura R September 26, 2006 – August 27, 2007
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Councillors) Seiji Suzuki C October 31, 2005 – August 27, 2007
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Bureaucrat) Junzo Sotoba September 26, 2006 – September 26, 2007

Changes

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Reshuffled cabinet

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PM Abe with his reshuffled cabinet inside the Kantei, August 27, 2007.
First Abe Cabinet from August 27, 2007 to September 26, 2007
Portfolio Minister Term of office
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe R September 26, 2006 – September 26, 2006
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
Minister of State for Decentralization Reform
Minister of State for Correcting Regional Disparities
Minister of State for Regional Government (doshu-sei)
Minister of State for Privatization of the Postal Services
Hiroya Masuda August 27, 2007 – September 24, 2008
Minister of Justice Kunio Hatoyama R August 27, 2007 – August 2, 2008
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nobutaka Machimura R August 27, 2007 – September 26, 2007
Minister of Finance Fukushiro Nukaga R August 27, 2007 – August 2, 2008
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Bunmei Ibuki R September 26, 2006 – September 26, 2007
Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare Yōichi Masuzoe C August 27, 2007 – September 26, 2009
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Takehiko Endo R August 27, 2007 – September 3, 2007
Masatoshi Wakabayashi C September 3, 2007 – August 2, 2008
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari R September 26, 2006 – August 2, 2008
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Minister for Ocean Policy
Tetsuzo Fuyushiba R September 26, 2006 – August 2, 2008
Minister of the Environment
Minister in Charge of Global Environmental Problems
Ichirō Kamoshita R August 27, 2007 – August 2, 2008
Minister of Defense Masahiko Kōmura R August 27, 2007 – September 26, 2007
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Minister of State for the Abduction Issue
Kaoru Yosano R August 27, 2007 – September 26, 2007
Minister of State, Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission
Minister of State for Disaster Management and Food Safety
Shinya Izumi C August 27, 2007 – September 26, 2007
Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs
Minister of State for Quality-of-Life Policy
Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy
Minister of State for "Challenge Again" Initiative
Minister of State for Regulatory Reform
Fumio Kishida R August 27, 2007 – September 26, 2007
Minister of State for Financial Services and Administrative Reform Yoshimi Watanabe R August 27, 2007 – September 24, 2008
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Hiroko Ōta September 26, 2006 – September 24, 2008
Minister of State for Gender Equality and Social Affairs Yōko Kamikawa R September 26, 2006 – September 24, 2008
Deputy Secretaries
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Representatives) Matsushige Ono R August 27, 2007 – September 26, 2007
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Councillors) Mitsuhide Iwaki C August 27, 2007 – September 24, 2008
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Bureaucrat) Junzo Sotoba September 26, 2006 – September 26, 2007

Changes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Shinzo Abe". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  2. ^ a b "Abe Cabinet Inaugurated | JILPT". www.jil.go.jp. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  3. ^ a b "The Japan Society - Utsukushii Kuni E (Toward a Beautiful Country)". www.japansociety.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  4. ^ "Explainer: What do we know about the health of Japan's Shinzo Abe?". Reuters. 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
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