# First Koizumi Cabinet

The First Koizumi Cabinet governed Japan from April 2001 until November 2003 under the leadership of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who came to power after winning a surprise victory in the LDP presidential election of 2001. The cabinet continued the LDP-Komeito-NCP coalition and contained a record number of 5 women, including Makiko Tanaka as the first female Foreign Minister. Several ministers from the previous Mori Administration remained in office to ensure the continuity and stability of government. Unusually for an LDP leader, Koizumi chose his cabinet himself and personally asked ministers to join the government, unlike previous practice where party factional leaders often chose government posts.

## Koizumi administration

Koizumi took office at a time of prolonged economic difficulties for Japan after the first "Lost Decade", including a banking sector affected by "bad loans". His policies promised bold structural reforms to economic, administrative and social policy using the slogans "reform with no sacred areas" and "without structural reforms there can be no economic recovery", explaining that he expected the country to endure short-term hardship, including higher unemployment, to make longer-term economic gains. Despite these promises of initial economic difficulties, the Koizumi cabinet enjoyed record popularity during its first year (reaching 90 percent in some polls), and the LDP gained several seats in the June 2001 upper house elections.
Koizumi's popularity declined significantly in early 2002 after he sacked Tanaka for disloyalty and for feuding with bureaucrats, and a series of scandals relating to the agriculture and foreign ministries came to light. In response, Koizumi ordered a quickening of the pace in terms of structural reform plans and made a highly publicised visit to North Korea in the autumn to discuss abducted Japanese citizens, which led to a recovery in his poll ratings. The first cabinet reshuffle then took place in September 2002 and did not bring about any major personnel changes, but did remove Financial Services Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa, who Koizumi felt was too timid on economic reform.
The second cabinet reshuffle took place in September 2003, following Koizumi's re-election as LDP leader by a large margin, and involved substantial changes including the promotion of the reformist Sadakazu Tanigaki to Finance Minister. Despite this, the key figures of Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Heizō Takenaka were kept in post. Koizumi then dissolved the Diet and called general elections in November 2003, which returned his coalition to office and led to the formation of the Second Koizumi Cabinet. The first Koizumi cabinet was the last to include the New Conservative Party as a coalition partner, which had declined in strength since its founding in April 2000 and finally merged with the LDP at Koizumi's suggestion after the 2003 election.

## Election of the prime minister

26 April 2001 :
| House of Representatives Absolute majority (241/480) required ||||
| Choice | Choice | First Vote | First Vote |
| Choice | Choice | Votes |
| | YJunichiro Koizumi | 287 / 480 |
| | Yukio Hatoyama | 127 / 480 |
| | Ozawa Ichiro | 22 / 480 |
| | Shii Kazuo | 20 / 480 |
| | Takako Doi | 19 / 480 |
| | Abstentions (Including blank ballots) | 5 / 480 |
| Source Diet Minutes - 151st Session |||

## Lists of ministers

Liberal Democratic  New Komeito  New Conservative  Independent R = Member of the House of Representatives C = Member of the House of Councillors

### Cabinet

First Koizumi Cabinet from April 26, 2001 to September 30, 2002 :
| Portfolio | Minister | Minister | Term of office |
| Prime Minister | Junichiro Koizumi | R | April 26, 2001 - September 26, 2006 |
| Minister for Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications | Toranosuke Katayama | C | January 6, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of Justice | Mayumi Moriyama | R | April 26, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Makiko Tanaka | R | April 26, 2001 - January 30, 2002 |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Junichiro Koizumi | R | January 30, 2002 - February 1, 2002 |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Yoriko Kawaguchi | - | February 1, 2002 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of Finance | Masajuro Shiokawa | R | April 26, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | Atsuko Toyama | - | April 26, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare | Chikara Sakaguchi | R | January 6, 2001 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | Tsutomu Takebe | R | April 26, 2001 - September 30, 2002 |
| Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry | Takeo Hiranuma | R | January 6, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism | Chikage Ogi | C | January 6, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of the Environment | Yoriko Kawaguchi | - | January 6, 2001 - February 8, 2002 |
| Minister of the Environment | Hiroshi Ōki | R | February 8, 2002 - September 30, 2002 |
| Chief Cabinet Secretary Minister for Gender Equality | Yasuo Fukuda | R | October 27, 2000 - May 7, 2004 |
| Director of the National Public Safety Commission Minister for Disaster Management | Jin Murai | R | April 26, 2001 - September 30, 2002 |
| Director of the Japan Defense Agency | Gen Nakatani | R | April 26, 2001 - September 30, 2002 |
| Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs Minister of State (Science and Technology Policy) | Kōji Omi | R | April 26, 2001 - September 30, 2002 |
| Minister of State for Financial Services | Hakuo Yanagisawa | R | January 6, 2001 - September 30, 2002 |
| Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy | Heizō Takenaka | - | April 26, 2001 - October 31, 2005 |
| Minister of State for Regulatory Reform | Nobuteru Ishihara | R | April 26, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Deputy Secretaries |||||
| Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Representatives) | Shinzo Abe | R | July 4, 2000 - September 22, 2003 |
| Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Councillors) | Kosei Ueno | C | July 4, 2000 - September 22, 2003 |
| Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Bureaucrat) | Teijiro Furukawa | - | February 24, 1995 - September 22, 2003 |

#### Changes

* January 30, 2002 - Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka was dismissed following a series of leaks and public feuds with Foreign Ministry bureaucrats. Prime Minister Koizumi temporarily took over her duties until February 1, when Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi was promoted as replacement. The senior Foreign Ministry official, Vice Minister Yoshiji Nogami was also removed.
* February 8, 2002 - Shortly after becoming Foreign Minister, Kawaguchi relinquished the Environment portfolio and was replaced by Hiroshi Ōki.

### First reshuffled cabinet

First Koizumi Cabinet from September 30, 2002 to September 22, 2003 :
| Portfolio | Minister | Minister | Term of office |
| Prime Minister | Junichiro Koizumi | R | April 26, 2001 - September 26, 2006 |
| Minister for Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications | Toranosuke Katayama | C | January 6, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of Justice | Mayumi Moriyama | R | April 26, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Yoriko Kawaguchi | - | February 1, 2002 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of Finance | Masajuro Shiokawa | R | April 26, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | Atsuko Toyama | - | April 26, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare | Chikara Sakaguchi | R | January 6, 2001 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | Tadamori Oshima | R | September 30, 2002 - April 1, 2003 |
| Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | Yoshiyuki Kamei | R | April 1, 2003 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry | Takeo Hiranuma | R | January 6, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism | Chikage Ogi | C | January 6, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of the Environment | Shun'ichi Suzuki | R | September 30, 2002 - September 22, 2003 |
| Chief Cabinet Secretary Minister for Gender Equality | Yasuo Fukuda | R | October 27, 2000 - May 7, 2004 |
| Director of the National Public Safety Commission | Sadakazu Tanigaki | R | September 30, 2002 - September 22, 2003 |
| Director of the Japan Defense Agency | Shigeru Ishiba | R | September 30, 2002 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs Minister of State (Science and Technology Policy) | Hiroyuki Hosoda | R | September 30, 2002 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister of State for Financial Services | Heizō Takenaka | - | April 26, 2001 - October 31, 2005 |
| Minister of State for Regulatory Reform | Nobuteru Ishihara | R | April 26, 2001 - September 22, 2003 |
| Minister for Disaster Management Minister for Special Zones for Structural Reform | Yoshitada Konoike | C | September 30, 2002 - September 22, 2003 |
| Deputy Secretaries |||||
| Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Representatives) | Shinzo Abe | R | July 4, 2000 - September 22, 2003 |
| Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Councillors) | Kosei Ueno | C | July 4, 2000 - September 22, 2003 |
| Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Bureaucrat) | Teijiro Furukawa | - | February 24, 1995 - September 22, 2003 |

#### Changes

* December 25, 2002 - The Conservative Party was dissolved and reformed as the New Conservative Party when some members of the Democratic Party defected and allied with the Conservatives. The party continued in coalition.
* April 1, 2003 - Agriculture Minister Tadamori Oshima resigned due to a bribery scandal involving a former aide, and was replaced with Yoshiyuki Kamei.

### Second reshuffled cabinet

First Koizumi Cabinet from September 22, 2003 to November 19, 2003 :
| Portfolio | Minister | Minister | Term of office |
| Prime Minister | Junichiro Koizumi | R | April 26, 2001 - September 26, 2006 |
| Minister for Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications | Tarō Asō | R | September 22, 2003 - October 31, 2005 |
| Minister of Justice | Daizō Nozawa | C | September 22, 2003 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Yoriko Kawaguchi | - | February 1, 2002 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of Finance | Sadakazu Tanigaki | R | September 22, 2003 - September 26, 2006 |
| Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | Takeo Kawamura | R | September 22, 2003 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare | Chikara Sakaguchi | R | January 6, 2001 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | Yoshiyuki Kamei | R | April 1, 2003 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry | Shōichi Nakagawa | R | September 22, 2003 - October 31, 2005 |
| Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism | Nobuteru Ishihara | R | September 22, 2003 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of the Environment | Yuriko Koike | R | September 22, 2003 - September 26, 2006 |
| Chief Cabinet Secretary Minister for Gender Equality | Yasuo Fukuda | R | October 27, 2000 - May 7, 2004 |
| Director of the National Public Safety Commission | Kiyoko Ono | C | September 22, 2003 - September 27, 2004 |
| Director of the Japan Defense Agency | Shigeru Ishiba | R | September 30, 2002 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs Minister of State (Science and Technology Policy) Minister of State for Personal Information Protection | Toshimitsu Motegi | R | September 22, 2003 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister of State for Financial Services | Heizō Takenaka | - | April 26, 2001 - October 31, 2005 |
| Minister of State for Regulatory Reform Minister of State for Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan Minister of State for Administrative Reform Minister of State for Special Zones for Structural Reform Minister of State for Regional Revitalization | Kazuyoshi Kaneko | R | September 22, 2003 - September 27, 2004 |
| Minister for Disaster Management Minister of State for National Emergency Legislation | Kiichi Inoue | R | September 22, 2003 - September 27, 2004 |
| Deputy Secretaries |||||
| Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Representatives) | Hiroyuki Hosoda | R | September 22, 2003 - May 7, 2004 |
| Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Political Affairs - House of Councillors) | Masaaki Yamazaki | C | September 22, 2003 - October 31, 2005 |
| Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (Bureaucrat) | Masahiro Futahashi | - | September 22, 2003 - September 26, 2006 |

#### Changes

* November 11, 2003 - After poor results in the general election, the New Conservative Party accepted Koizumi's suggestion that it merge with the LDP. The NCP formally dissolved on November 21.