New Foreign Minister Kono draws mixed reactions in Japan gov’t

August 9, 2017

TOKYO- Japanese government officials have expressed mixed feelings over the new foreign minister, Taro Kono, for past criticism of the ministry he now heads and his relatively warm ties with China and South Korea. Kono, known for his outspokenness, has talked openly about political issues on his blog and through other channels and has sometimes harshly criticized the Foreign Ministry.

The ministry "seems to be unaware that official development assistance is money provided by the public," Kono once said.

He has also demanded that the ASEAN-Japan Centre be scrapped, accusing the intergovernmental organization comprising Japan and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations of wasting money.

A source close to the Foreign Ministry has expressed concern about Kono, saying he may bring disruption to the ministry.

Other government officials are concerned about Kono's opposition to nuclear power.

The government plans to extend the Japan-US agreement for cooperation regarding the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The agreement expires in summer next year.

"I'll continue to give the issue my consideration, including what sort of agreement it should be," Kono said at his inaugural press conference last Thursday.

"We can't predict the fate of the agreement," a senior ministry official complained. Jiji Press