Amari reappointed as Japan trade minister
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese trade minister Akira Amari will remain in his post in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet reshuffle, the government said on Monday.
Abe is revamping his cabinet after his first line-up was hit by a series of political funding scandals and gaffes that led to a big defeat for the ruling coalition in an upper house election last month.
Amari, who turned 58 on Monday, told a news conference that he would work to maintain nuclear safety and secure natural resources.
He said his ministry would cooperate with the farm ministry in dealing with world trade negotiations.
The government has appointed Takehiko Endo as the farm minister.
Amari is seen as a leading parliament member well-acquainted with commerce and industry groups, who has pursued natural resources diplomacy such as signing a deal in April to boost imports of uranium from Kazakhstan.
His reappointment comes as the Tokyo region faces power shortages due to a lingering summer heatwave following the closure of the world's largest nuclear power plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power Co, in the wake of a powerful earthquake last month.
To prevent a power shortage, TEPCO last week implemented an emergency measure to curb some large customers' power use as demand in the Tokyo area neared the company's supply capacity.
The trade minister also faces the challenge of improving ties with China amid a dispute over gas reserves development in the East China Sea.
Both countries are eager to develop gas fields there but disagree over where the sea boundary separating their exclusive economic zones should lie.
The two nations have agreed to intensify talks over developing oil and gas fields in the disputed waters and to propose concrete measures by autumn.
The trade ministry will also be required to take steps to secure resources through oil and metals exploration projects.
Resource-poor Japan is engaging more in diplomatic efforts to secure stable supplies of energy and metals when global prices have been rising as a result of the economic expansion around the world.
Amari first became a cabinet member in 1998, serving as labor minister under late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi when Japan was going through a financial crisis.
Amari has previously served as acting chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council.
He briefly worked for Sony Corp after graduating from Keio University in 1972.
Amari was first elected to the Lower House in 1983 and is currently serving his eighth term as a representative from Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo.
