Hatoyama Cabinet Explained

Cabinet Name:Yukio Hatoyama Cabinet
Cabinet Number:93rd
Jurisdiction:Japan
Flag:Flag of Japan.svg
Flag Border:true
Date Formed:September 16, 2009
Date Dissolved:June 8, 2010
Government Head Title:Prime Minister
Government Head:Yukio Hatoyama
Deputy Government Head Title:Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Government Head:Naoto Kan
State Head Title:Emperor
State Head:Akihito
Political Parties: Democratic Party
Social Democratic
People's New Party
Legislature Status:Coalition government
HoR

Supermajority

HoC: Majority

Opposition Parties:Liberal Democratic Party
New Komeito Party
Japanese Communist Party
Your Party
New Party Nippon
New Party Daichi
Opposition Leader:Sadakazu Tanigaki (LDP)
Predecessor:Asō Cabinet
Successor:Kan Cabinet

The Yukio Hatoyama Cabinet governed Japan from September 2009 to June 2010, following the landslide victory of the Democratic Party of Japan in the election on 30 August 2009. The election marked the first time in Japanese post-war history that voters delivered the control of the government to the opposition. The cabinet was also the first since Hata Cabinet in 1994 that included no members of the LDP.

Political background

Yukio Hatoyama and the DPJ came into power after their historic victory in the 2009 general election. The DPJ won more than 300 House of Representatives seats in the election and inflicted the worst defeat for a sitting government in modern Japanese history to the LDP.[1] Hatoyama entered office with high approval ratings amid high public expectations to recover the Great Recession-hit economy and reform Japan's stagnant politics.[2] These high expectations contributed to a drop in popularity of the government. The government became more unpopular after it broke a campaign promise of closing down an American air base in Okinawa Prefecture. Hatoyama initially moved to close down the base after the election, but relented to the pressure from the American government. Hatoyama also cited the escalation of tension in the Korean Peninsula following the sinking of South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan as a factor that contributed to the base being kept.[3] [4] The continuous drop in the government's approval ratings led to Hatoyama's resignation on 2 June 2010.

During his short premiership, Hatoyama managed to pass a relatively significant amount of progressive reforms, including the introduction of new social benefits for families, a marked increase in the education budget, the abolition of public high school tuition fees and welfare expansion.[5] [6] Japan also developed a more Asia-focused policy and a warmer relations with China under Hatoyama, culminated with a visit by then-Vice President Xi Jinping to Tokyo in January 2010.[7]

Election of the prime minister

16 September 2009
House of Representatives
Absolute majority (241/480) required
ChoiceVote
CaucusesVotes
Yukio HatoyamaDPJ (308), SDP (7), Your Party (5), PNP (3), Independent (2), NPN (1), NPD (1), Independent [Speaker] (1)
Masatoshi WakabayashiLDP (118), Independent [Vice Speaker] (1)
Natsuo YamaguchiKōmeitō (21)
Kazuo ShiiJCP (9)
Hiranuma Group independents (3), Independent (1)
Source: 172nd Diet Session (House of Representatives) (roll call only lists individual votes, not grouped by caucus)
16 September 2009
House of Councillors
Absolute majority (119/237) required
ChoiceVote
CaucusesVotes
Yukio HatoyamaDPJーShin-Ryokufūkai (117), SDP (5), Independents [Keiko Itokazu and Ryūhei Kawada] (2)
Masatoshi WakabayashiLDP (84)
Natsuo YamaguchiKōmeitō (21)
Kazuo ShiiJCP (7)
Blank ballotIndependent [Vice President] (1)
Did not voteIndependent [President] (1), LDP (1)
Vacant
Source: 172nd Diet Session (House of Councillors) (lists individual votes grouped by caucus)

Lists of ministers




R = Member of the House of Representatives
C = Member of the House of Councillors

Cabinet

Minister! colspan=2
Term
Yukio HatoyamaRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy
Naoto KanRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
Minister of State for Promotion of Local Sovereignty
Kazuhiro HaraguchiRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Keiko ChibaCSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Katsuya OkadaRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Minister of FinanceHirohisa FujiiRSeptember 16, 2009 – January 7, 2010
Naoto KanRJanuary 7 – June 8, 2010
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and TechnologyTatsuo KawabataRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare
Minister of State for Pension Reform
Akira NagatsumaRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Hirotaka AkamatsuRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Minister of Economy, Trade and IndustryMasayuki NaoshimaCSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs
Seiji MaeharaRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Minister of the EnvironmentSakihito OzawaRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Minister of DefenceToshimi KitazawaCSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Minister in charge of Alleviating the Burden of the Bases in Okinawa
Hirofumi HiranoRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission
Minister of State for the Abduction Issue
Hiroshi NakaiRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Minister of State for Disaster ManagementSeiji MaeharaRSeptember 16, 2009 – January 12, 2010
Hiroshi NakaiRJanuary 12 – June 8, 2010
Minister of State for Financial Services
Minister of State for Postal Reform
Shizuka KameiRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety
Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate
Minister of State for Gender Equality
Mizuho FukushimaCSeptember 16, 2009 – May 28, 2010
Hirofumi HiranoRMay 28 – June 8, 2010
Minister of State for Science and Technology PolicyNaoto KanRSeptember 16, 2009 – January 7, 2010
Tatsuo KawabataRJanuary 7 – June 8, 2010
Minister of State for the New Public Commons
Minister of State for Civil Service Reform
Minister of State for National Policy
Yoshito SengokuRSeptember 16, 2009 – June 8, 2010
Minister of State for Government Revitalization Yoshito SengokuRSeptember 16, 2009 – February 10, 2010
Yukio EdanoRFebruary 10 – June 8, 2010

External links

Notes and References

  1. Stockwin, J.A.A. (2011). The rationale for coalition governments In Alisa Gaunder (Ed.) Routledge Handbook of Japanese Politics, Taylor & Francis, p. 36–47.
  2. News: Tabuchi. Hiroko. Hiroko Tabuchi . Japan's New Prime Minister Takes Office, Ending an Era . The New York Times. 16 September 2009. 8 January 2010.
  3. Web site: The Yomiuri Shimbun . 'Obama nod' prompted Fukushima dismissal . https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20100605134728/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20100531TDY03T01.htm . dead . 5 June 2010 . . Japan . 2 June 2010 . dmy-all .
  4. News: Obama, Hatoyama Satisfied With US Airbase Relocation – White House . . 27 May 2010 . 2 June 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100601215552/http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100527-717938.html?mod=WSJ_World_MIDDLEHeadlinesAsia . 1 June 2010 .
  5. News: A Clouded Outlook. https://web.archive.org/web/20100728231022/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2005689-3,00.html. dead. July 28, 2010. Time. 2 August 2010.
  6. Web site: Manifesto. Democratic Party of Japan. 2010. 27 December 2012.
  7. News: Fackler. Martin . Japan's Relationship With U.S. Gets a Closer Look. The New York Times. 1 December 2009. 8 January 2010.