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Aso Cabinet (Formed September 24, 2008)

MINISTER OF ECONOMY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Toshihiro Nikai

MINISTER OF ECONOMY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY Toshihiro Nikai

Date of birth: Feb. 17, 1939

LDP faction: Nikai

Electoral district: Lower House; Wakayama No. 3 (eighth term)

Nikai, 69, was chairman of the LDP General Council in Yasuo Fukuda's first administration and was given the post again in August.

He began his political career as a member of the Wakayama Prefectural Assembly in 1975 and advanced to the Diet eight years later.

Nikai left the LDP in 1993 together with Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the opposition-leading Democratic Party of Japan. He became transport minister in 1999 but returned to the LDP in 2003.

In the 2005 general election, he scrambled to field candidates to counter fellow LDP lawmakers opposed to Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatization.

Nikai is known for his strong ties with Chinese leaders, and he accompanied relief supplies to quake-hit Sichuan Province in June.


 

Subsequent changes

PRIME MINISTER Taro Aso

PRIME MINISTER

Taro Aso

MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS Kunio Hatoyama

MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS

Kunio Hatoyama

JUSTICE MINISTER Eisuke Mori

JUSTICE MINISTER

Eisuke Mori

FOREIGN MINISTER Hirofumi Nakasone

FOREIGN MINISTER

Hirofumi Nakasone

FINANCE MINISTER AND STATE MINISTER FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES Shoichi Nakagawa

FINANCE MINISTER AND STATE MINISTER FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES

Shoichi Nakagawa

MINISTER OF EDUCATION, CULTURE, SPORTS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Ryu Shionoya

MINISTER OF EDUCATION, CULTURE, SPORTS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Ryu Shionoya

MINISTER OF HEALTH, LABOR AND WELFARE Yoichi Masuzoe

MINISTER OF HEALTH, LABOR AND WELFARE

Yoichi Masuzoe

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES Shigeru Ishiba

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES

Shigeru Ishiba

MINISTER OF LAND, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND TOURISM Kazuyoshi Kaneko

MINISTER OF LAND, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND TOURISM

Kazuyoshi Kaneko

ENVIRONMENT MINISTER Tetsuo Saito

ENVIRONMENT MINISTER

Tetsuo Saito

DEFENSE MINISTER Yasukazu Hamada

DEFENSE MINISTER

Yasukazu Hamada

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY Takeo Kawamura

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY

Takeo Kawamura

NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN, STATE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF OKINAWA AND AFFAIRS RELATED TO THE NORTHERN TERRITORIES Tsutomu Sato

NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN, STATE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF OKINAWA AND AFFAIRS RELATED TO THE NORTHERN TERRITORIES

Tsutomu Sato

STATE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF ECONOMIC AND FISCAL POLICY Kaoru Yosano

STATE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF ECONOMIC AND FISCAL POLICY

Kaoru Yosano

STATE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS Akira Amari

STATE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS

Akira Amari

STATE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS Seiko Noda

STATE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS

Seiko Noda

STATE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF POPULATION AND GENDER EQUALITY Yuko Obuchi

STATE MINISTER IN CHARGE OF POPULATION AND GENDER EQUALITY

Yuko Obuchi