Takenaka on Abe: Promote Reforms

March 24, 2007
By Ken Worsley

In a conversation with Kyodo News, Former Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Heizo Takenaka has urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to make better use of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy to help promote reforms and make the Cabinet’s goals better understood in general. Takenaka told the news agency:

Cabinet ministers and private sector representatives at the council should frankly discuss policies and demonstrate points of dispute to the people. Through such a process, the Prime Minister should demonstrate leadership in driving reforms.

The process has not necessarily worked well in the first six months [of the Abe administration]…

The Prime Minister has demonstrated his leadership in giving policy instructions. The problem is whether his Cabinet ministers and aides can move in line with his instructions. He still has time to rebound.

Especially if he hires Takenaka. It’s hard to see much of value coming from the current members of the CEFP. What happened to Hiroko Ota? Is she just on sabbatical from Keio?

Filed Under Cabinet Office, Economics, Finance