The Second Mori Cabinet governed Japan between July 2000 and April 2001 as a coalition government under the leadership of Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori of the Liberal Democratic Party. The cabinet was formed after the LDP-NKP-NCP coalition was returned to office with a substantially reduced majority in the June 25 general election, and inaugurated after Mori's re-election by the National Diet on July 4.[1] Unlike his first cabinet, which retained all of former Prime Minister Keizō Obuchi's ministers, Mori introduced several personnel changes, although this was done with reference to LDP factions.[2]

Second Mori Cabinet

86th Cabinet of Japan
Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori (front row, centre) with the re-elected cabinet inside the Kantei, July 4, 2000
Date formedJuly 4, 2000
Date dissolvedDecember 5, 2000
People and organisations
Head of stateEmperor Akihito
Head of governmentYoshirō Mori
Member partyLDP-NKP-NCP coalition
Status in legislatureMajority coalition
Opposition partyDemocratic Party of Japan
Opposition leaderYukio Hatoyama
History
Election2000 general election
PredecessorFirst Mori Cabinet
SuccessorSecond Mori Cabinet
(Reshuffle before 2001 CGR)

Mori administration

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Administrative reforms begun under Prime Minister Hashimoto came into effect during the Mori government's second term, resulting in the merger, renaming or creation of several ministries and cabinet posts.[3][4] Two reshuffles of the second Mori Cabinet took place, the first in December 2000 in which a large number of ministers were replaced and ministerial portfolios were allocated in anticipation of the planned overhaul in government structures. Hashimoto was brought back into cabinet to oversee further government reforms.[5] When the second reshuffle occurred one month later no ministers were moved, but instead the changes in ministries and offices came into effect. The powers of the Prime Minister's office were increased and the number of ministers was reduced through mergers, for example the Home Affairs, Management and Co-ordination, and Posts and Communications briefs were combined to become the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications.[6]

Mori was a deeply unpopular leader throughout his year-long term, with several gaffes, scandals and resignations of government and party figures causing his approval ratings to fall below 10 percent.[7][8] At the end of 2000, several LDP members launched an abortive effort to remove Mori through a vote of no-confidence, this failed, though it further damaged his government's standing.[9][10][11] In the spring of 2001, Mori announced that the election for LDP president would be brought forward from the autumn, which was in effect a resignation announcement since he was not expected to stand again for the leadership.[12][13] Mori then confirmed his intention to stand down at the beginning of April and remained in office for several more weeks until Junichiro Koizumi was elected as his successor and became Prime Minister on April 26.[14][15]

Election of the prime minister

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4 July 2000
House of Representatives
Absolute majority (241/480) required
Choice First Vote
Votes
 YYoshirō Mori
284 / 480
Yukio Hatoyama
130 / 480
Ichiro Ozawa
22 / 480
Tetsuzo Fuwa
20 / 480
Takako Doi
19 / 480
Koji Kakizawa
1 / 480
Torao Tokuda
1 / 480
Motoo Shiina [ja]
1 / 480
Abstentions (Including blank ballots)
2 / 480
Source Diet Minutes - 148th Session

List of ministers

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

Cabinet

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Second Mori Cabinet from July 4, 2000 to December 5, 2000
Portfolio Minister Term of office
Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori R April 5, 2000 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Justice Okiharu Yasuoka R July 4, 2000 - December 5, 2000
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yōhei Kōno R October 5, 1999 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Finance Kiichi Miyazawa R July 30, 1998 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Education
Director of the Science and Technology Agency
Tadamori Oshima R July 4, 2000 - December 5, 2000
Minister of Health and Welfare Yūji Tsushima R July 4, 2000 - December 5, 2000
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yoichi Tani R July 4, 2000 - December 5, 2000
Minister of International Trade and Industry Takeo Hiranuma R July 4, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Minister of Transport
Director of the Hokkaido Development Agency
Hajime Morita R July 4, 2000 - December 5, 2000
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Kozo Hirabayashi R July 4, 2000 - December 5, 2000
Minister of Labour Yoshio Yoshikawa C July 4, 2000 - December 5, 2000
Minister of Construction
Director of the National Land Agency
Chikage Ogi C July 4, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Minister of Home Affairs
Director of the National Public Safety Commission
Mamoru Nishida R July 4, 2000 - December 5, 2000
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Director of the Okinawa Development Agency
Hidenao Nakagawa R July 4, 2000 - October 27, 2000
Yasuo Fukuda R October 27, 2000 - May 7, 2004
Chairman of the Financial Reconstruction Commission Kimitaka Kuze C July 4, 2000 - July 30, 2000
Hideyuki Aizawa R July 30, 2000 - December 5, 2000
Director of the Management and Coordination Agency Kunihiro Tsuzuki C October 5, 1999 - December 5, 2000
Director of the Japan Defense Agency Kazuo Torashima R July 4, 2000 - December 5, 2000
Director of the Economic Planning Agency Taichi Sakaiya - July 30, 1998 - December 5, 2000
Director of the Environment Agency Yoriko Kawaguchi - July 4, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Deputy Secretaries
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Representatives) Shinzo Abe R July 4, 2000 - September 22, 2003
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Councillors) Kosei Ueno C July 4, 2000 - September 22, 2003
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Bureaucrat) Teijiro Furukawa - February 24, 1995 - September 22, 2003

Changes

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  • July 30, 2000 - Chairman of the Financial Reconstruction Commission Kimitaka Kuze resigned as the result of a payments scandal and was replaced with Hideyuki Aizawa.[16]
  • October 27, 2000 - Chief Cabinet Secretary Hidenao Nakagawa resigned after being accused in the press of having connections to far-right groups, and of having an extramarital affair which led him to leak confidential information. He was replaced with Yasuo Fukuda.[17]

Reshuffle before 2001 Central Government Reform

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Second Mori Cabinet
(Reshuffle before 2001 CGR)
 
86th Cabinet of Japan
 
Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori (front row, centre) with his reshuffled cabinet inside the Kantei, December 5, 2000
Date formedDecember 5, 2000
Date dissolvedJanuary 6, 2001
People and organisations
Head of stateEmperor Akihito
Head of governmentYoshirō Mori
Member partyLDP-NKP-NCP coalition
Status in legislatureMajority coalition
Opposition partyDemocratic Party of Japan
Opposition leaderYukio Hatoyama
History
Election2000 general election
PredecessorSecond Mori Cabinet
SuccessorSecond Mori Cabinet
(Reshuffle after 2001 CGR)
Second Mori Cabinet from December 5, 2000 to January 6, 2001
Portfolio Minister Term of Office
Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori R April 5, 2000 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Justice Masahiko Kōmura R December 5, 2000 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yōhei Kōno R October 5, 1999 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Finance Kiichi Miyazawa R July 30, 1998 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Education
Director of the Science and Technology Agency
Nobutaka Machimura R December 5, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Minister of Health and Welfare
Minister of Labour
Chikara Sakaguchi R December 5, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yoshio Yatsu R December 5, 2000 - 26 April 2001
Minister of International Trade and Industry Takeo Hiranuma R July 4, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Minister of Transport
Minister of Construction
Director of the Hokkaido Development Agency
Director of the National Land Agency
Chikage Ogi C July 4, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications
Minister of Home Affairs
Director of the Management and Coordination Agency
Toranosuke Katayama C December 5, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda R October 27, 2000 - May 7, 2004
Director of the National Public Safety Commission Bunmei Ibuki R December 5, 2000 - April 26, 2001
Chairman of the Financial Reconstruction Commission Hakuo Yanagisawa R December 5, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Director of the Japan Defense Agency Toshitsugu Saito R December 5, 2000 - 26 April 2001
Director of the Economic Planning Agency Fukushiro Nukaga R December 5, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Director of the Environment Agency Yoriko Kawaguchi - July 4, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Minister of State for Administrative Reform
Director of the Okinawa Development Agency
Ryutaro Hashimoto R December 5, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Minister of State (Science and Technology Policy) Takashi Sasagawa R December 5, 2000 - January 6, 2001
Deputy Secretaries
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Representatives) Shinzo Abe R July 4, 2000 - September 22, 2003
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Councillors) Kosei Ueno C July 4, 2000 - September 22, 2003
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Bureaucrat) Teijiro Furukawa - February 24, 1995 - September 22, 2003

Reshuffle after 2001 Central Government Reform

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Second Mori Cabinet
(Reshuffle after 2001 CGR)
 
86th Cabinet of Japan
 
Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori (front row, centre) with his reshuffled cabinet inside the Kantei, January 6, 2001
Date formedJanuary 6, 2001
Date dissolvedApril 26, 2001
People and organisations
Head of stateEmperor Akihito
Head of governmentYoshirō Mori
Member partyLDP-NKP-NCP coalition
Status in legislatureMajority coalition
Opposition partyDemocratic Party of Japan
Opposition leaderYukio Hatoyama
History
Election2000 general election
PredecessorSecond Mori Cabinet
(Reshuffle before 2001 CGR)
SuccessorFirst Koizumi Cabinet
Second Mori Cabinet from January 6, 2001 to April 26, 2001
Portfolio Minister Term of Office
Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori R April 5, 2000 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Finance Kiichi Miyazawa R July 30, 1998 - April 26, 2001
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Toranosuke Katayama C January 6, 2001 - September 22, 2003
Minister of Justice Masahiko Kōmura R December 5, 2000 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yōhei Kōno R October 5, 1999 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Nobutaka Machimura R January 6, 2001 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare Chikara Sakaguchi R January 6, 2001 - September 27, 2004
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yoshio Yatsu R December 5, 2000 - April 26, 2001
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Takeo Hiranuma R January 6, 2001 - September 22, 2003
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Chikage Ogi C January 6, 2001 - September 22, 2003
Minister of the Environment Yoriko Kawaguchi - January 6, 2001 - February 8, 2002
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Minister for Gender Equality
Yasuo Fukuda R October 27, 2000 - May 7, 2004
Director of the Japan Defense Agency Toshitsugu Saito R December 5, 2000 - April 26, 2001
Director of the National Public Safety Commission
Minister for Disaster Management
Bunmei Ibuki R December 5, 2000 - April 26, 2001
Minister of State (Science and Technology Policy) Takashi Sasagawa R January 6, 2001 - April 26, 2001
Minister of State for Financial Services Hakuo Yanagisawa R January 6, 2001 - September 30, 2002
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Fukushiro Nukaga R January 6, 2001 - January 23, 2001
Tarō Asō R January 23, 2001 - April 26, 2001
Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs
Minister of State for Regulatory Reform
Ryutaro Hashimoto R January 6, 2001 - April 26, 2001
Deputy Secretaries
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Representatives) Shinzo Abe R July 4, 2000 - September 22, 2003
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Councillors) Kosei Ueno C July 4, 2000 - September 22, 2003
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Bureaucrat) Teijiro Furukawa - February 24, 1995 - September 22, 2003

Changes

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  • January 23, 2001 - Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Fukushiro Nukaga resigned due to his involvement in a bribery scandal, and was replaced by Tarō Asō.[18]

References

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  1. ^ French, Howard W. (26 June 2000). "GOVERNING PARTY IN JAPAN SUFFERS ELECTION SETBACK". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ Hani, Yoko (5 July 2000). "Mori Cabinet not necessarily his own". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ Eur (2002). The Far East and Australasia 2003. Psychology Press. p. 587. ISBN 9781857431339. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  4. ^ Khergamvala, F.J. (4 January 2001). "Hashimoto in the ascendant". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  5. ^ Schmetzer, Uli (6 December 2000). "Japan's Leader Looks To Heavyweight In Hope Of Boosting His Support". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "Japan overhauls government". BBC News. 6 January 2001. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Mori's Woes Grow With Scandals". LA Times. 3 August 2000. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ "Mori: Gaffe-prone leader". BBC News. 14 February 2001. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "LDP Official Quits; Mori May Be at More Risk". LA Times. 1 December 2000. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "Japan's Ruling Party Moves to Quash Mutiny Over Mori". LA Times. 20 November 2000. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "Mori still on shaky footing". BBC News. 22 November 2000. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ "Japanese PM calls early party elections". The Guardian. 13 March 2001. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ Watts, Jonathan (11 March 2001). "Japan's premier signals a long goodbye". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ^ "Mori Goes Public With Plan to Quit". LA Times. 6 April 2001. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ^ "Junichiro Koizumi elected as Japan's Prime Minister". Irish Times. 26 April 2001. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ^ "Chief Financial Regulator Quits In New Scandal Over Payments". Chicago Tribune. 31 July 2000. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ "Nakagawa resigns; Fukuda steps in". The Japan Times. 28 October 2000. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ^ "Economic Minister Quits Administration Amid Wider Scandal". Chicago Tribune. 24 January 2001. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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