Hosokawa Cabinet

The Hosokawa Cabinet governed Japan from August 9, 1993, to April 28, 1994, under the leadership of Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa.

Hosokawa Cabinet

79th Cabinet of Japan
Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa (7th from left to right in low) and his cabinet
Date formedAugust 9, 1993
Date dissolvedApril 28, 1994
People and organisations
Head of stateEmperor Akihito
Head of governmentMorihiro Hosokawa
Deputy head of governmentTsutomu Hata
Member partyJNP-JRP–JSP-Komeito–DSP-NPS-SDF Coalition
Status in legislatureCoalition minority
Opposition partyLiberal Democratic Party
Opposition leaderYōhei Kōno
History
Election(s)1993 general election
PredecessorMiyazawa Cabinet
SuccessorHata Cabinet

Political background

Formed in the aftermath of the 1993 general election, this cabinet was a broad based coalition of parties of both left (the JSP and DSP), right (JRP, JNP and NPS) and religious politics (Komeito). A series of defections had cost the LDP its majority before the 1993 election, after which all non-Communist opposition parties coalesced with the aim of creating the first non-LDP government in 38 years and achieving electoral reform. Despite the fact that the conservative Japan Renewal Party and the left-wing Japan Socialist Party were the largest parties in the coalition, Ichirō Ozawa (who negotiated the formation of the government) and his allies in the JRP pushed for Morihiro Hosokawa, a former governor of Kumamoto Prefecture and the leader of the small Japan New Party, to lead the government. Hosokwa was elected by the Diet on August 6, and took office as the first non-LDP Prime Minister for four decades. The Prime Minister himself was the only New Party member of the cabinet, which was mostly dominated by the JRP and the Socialists.[1]

The coalition achieved Hosokawa's goal of electoral reform, replacing the previous system of multi-member districts with a combined system of single-member districts, elected by first past the post, and blocs of proportional representation candidates. But having achieved this, and replaced the LDP, the unifying purpose of the coalition was lost and ideological differences between the parties, especially over tax and defence policy, began to split the cabinet.[2][3] Following revelations of a campaign finance scandal, Hosokawa announced his surprise resignation on April 8, 1994.[4][5] After several weeks of negotiations, foreign minister Tsutomu Hata of the JRP became Prime Minister on April 28.[6]

Election of the Prime Minister
6 August 1993
Absolute majority (256/511) required
House of Representatives
Choice First Vote
Votes
YMorihiro Hosokawa
262 / 511
Yōhei Kōno
224 / 511
Others and Abstentions (Including Speaker and Deputy)
25 / 511
Source[7]

Ministers

  Japan New
  Renewal
  New Party Sakigake
  Komeito
  Democratic Socialist
  Socialist
  Independent
R = Member of the House of Representatives
C = Member of the House of Councillors

Cabinet of Morihiro Hosokawa from August 9, 1993 to April 28, 1994
Portfolio Minister Term of Office
Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Chief Cabinet Secretary Masayoshi Takemura R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs		 Tsutomu Hata R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Minister of Justice Akira Mikazuki - August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Minister of Finance Hirohisa Fujii R August 9, 1993 – June 30, 1994
Minister of Education Ryōko Akamatsu - August 9, 1993 – June 30, 1994
Minister of Health and Welfare Keigo Ōuchi R August 9, 1993 – June 30, 1994
Minister of Labour Chikara Sakaguchi R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Eijirō Hata R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Minister of International Trade and Industry Hiroshi Kumagai R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Minister of Transport Shigeru Itō R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Minister of Construction Kozo Igarashi R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Minister of Home Affairs
Director of the National Public Safety Commission		 Kanju Sato R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Takenori Kanzaki R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Director of the Management and Coordination Agency Koshiro Ishida R August 9, 1993 – June 30, 1994
Director of the Japan Defense Agency Keisuke Nakanishi R August 9, 1993 – December 1, 1993
Kazuo Aichi R December 1, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Director of the National Land Agency
Director of the Hokkaido Development Agency
Director of the Okinawa Development Agency Development,		 Kosuke Uehara R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Director of the Economic Planning Agency Manae Kubota C August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Director of the Environment Agency Wakako Hironaka C August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Director of the Science and Technology Agency Satsuki Eda R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994
Minister of State (in charge of political reform) Sadao Yamahana R August 9, 1993 – April 28, 1994

Changes
  • December 1 – Defence Minister Keisuke Nakanishi resigned over controversial remarks he made related to Japan's pacifist constitution, and was replaced by Kazuo Aichi.[8]

References
  1. McCarthy, Terry (9 August 1993). "Hosokawa plays safe with cabinet". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. Shiratori, Rei (1995). "Description of Japanese Politics 1994". European Journal of Political Research. 28. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  3. "Fragile position: Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa". Chicago Tribune. 3 February 1994. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. SANGER, DAVID E. (8 April 1994). "JAPANESE PREMIER SAYS HE WILL QUIT AS SCANDAL GROWS". New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. WATANABE, TERESA (9 April 1994). "Premier's Abrupt Resignation Leaves Japan in Shock". LA Times. Archived from the original on 8 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. Shiratori, Rei (1995). "Description of Japanese Politics 1994". European Journal of Political Research. 28. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  7. Banks, Arthur S.; Day, Alan J.; Muller, Thomas C. Political Handbook of the World 1998. p. 475.
  8. McCarthy, Terry (4 December 1993). "Japan dogged by military taboo: Government minister and political reform laws fall foul of post-war constitution". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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