Japan's new premier vows to speed up disaster recovery

By Takehiko Kambayashi Sep 2, 2011, 13:07 GMT

Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda vowed to put all the new government's efforts towards the on-going nuclear crisis and reconstruction efforts in areas ravaged by the March disaster.

Noda said although the previous government had been working on the rebuilding and the nuclear accident, 'it was pointed out that that was insufficient.'

'We believe it an overarching mission to accelerate the rebuilding work,' the premier told a news conference after his cabinet was inaugurated.

The March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami ravaged north-eastern Japan, leaving more than 15,700 dead and about 4,400 missing.

The premier said the government also placed high priority on the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

The plant has leaked radioactive material since it was hit by the disaster. The government and operator Tokyo Electric Power Co have been struggling to stabilize it.

Noda, who was the finance minister under his predecessor Naoto Kan's government, also told a news conference that another pressing issue is the Japanese currency's appreciation. And he said he was ready to intervene in currency markets if necessary.

The yen's strength makes Japanese goods more expensive overseas and erodes repatriated earnings.

The opposition camp urged Noda to dissolve the lower house to hold a snap election, but the premier said the country could not create political vacuum in the middle of the reconstruction efforts and the nuclear crisis.

Earlier in the day, Noda unveiled his cabinet lineup. He appointed close allies who are largely unknown lawmakers to the finance and foreign ministries.

Jun Azumi, a former news reporter and parliamentary affairs chief under the outgoing premier Naoto Kan, was named as the new finance minister while Koichiro Gemba, the outgoing national strategy minister, will serve as the new foreign minister. Both are under 50 years old.

Goshi Hosono was appointed to the Environment Ministry, but would continue to serve as the minister in charge of the nuclear crisis.

Noda also retained Tatsuo Hirano as the reconstruction minister, who deals with the rebuilding efforts in the north-east.

Osamu Fujimura, a 61-year-old lawmaker, another close ally of Noda, was selected Chief Cabinet Secretary or the government's spokesman.