Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� November, 2003

Inauguration of the Second Koizumi Cabinet Wednesday, November 19, 2003 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was reappointed as the Prime Minister by both the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors at the 158th special session of the Diet. After his appointment, Prime Minister Koizumi held a press conference and again quoted the words of the Chinese philosopher Mencius, "when about to place a great responsibility on a person, heaven may test one with hardship and frustrated efforts in order to toughen one's nature and shore up deficiencies," which he had quoted earlier at the press conference when he was first inaugurated as Prime Minister in April 2001. He expressed his resolution that upon fulfilling the weighty responsibilities as Prime Minister of Japan, he should endure all manners of difficulties and work to nurture the buds of reform into a large tree. Prime Minister Koizumi then reappointed all the ministers under the Cabinet reshuffled in September and formed the Second Koizumi Cabinet. Prime Minister Koizumi was appointed the 88th Prime Minister of Japan (the 56th person) since Hirobumi Ito at the investiture of the Prime Minister in the Imperial Palace and then attended the attestation ceremony of the appointment of the Ministers of State of the Koizumi Cabinet. On the evening of the same day, Prime Minister Koizumi held the first meeting of the Second Koizumi Cabinet and announced the Statement by the Prime Minister.

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Link:	List of Ministers
	Statement by Prime Minister Koizumi
	Basic Policy
	Press Conference by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi