Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's new Cabinet met for the firsttime Saturday, after being sworn in at a ceremony in front of EmperorAkihito at the imperial palace.
At the meeting, Mr. Fukuda pledged to fight rising prices and go ahead with his reform policies.
Mr.Fukuda replaced 13 of his 17 government ministers Friday, including hiseconomic team, in an effort to revive the country's stagnant economy. He named Kaoru Yosana as his new economics minister, while tappingBunmei Ibuki as finance minister.
The Japanese prime ministersaid the new Cabinet is charged with implementing reforms to improvepeople's lives, including dealing with issues such as rising fuel costsand a declining domestic birth rate.
Mr. Fukuda also said hewould not dissolve parliament and call elections. His agenda has beenstalled by the main opposition Democratic Party, which controls theupper house of parliament and has called for snap elections. Thepolitical stalemate has sunk Mr. Fukuda's approval ratings to around 20percent.
The economic and finance ministers are long-servingmembers of the prime minister's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Yosana is a strong advocate for raising the national sales tax tocombat Japan's growing national debt. Ibuki is secretary-general ofthe ruling party, second only behind Mr. Fukuda.
Mr. Fukuda hasalso named two women to the Cabinet. Seiko Noda, a former postalminister who was once ousted from the LDP, receives the consumeraffairs portfolio. Kyoko Nakayama, a leading advocate on the issue ofJapanese nationals kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s, is in chargeof the ministry that handles the abduction issue.
The fourministers held over from the previous Cabinet include Foreign MinisterMasahiko Komura and Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura.