Murayama Cabinet

The Murayama Cabinet (村山内閣, Murayama naikaku) governed Japan under the leadership of Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama from 1994 until a 1995 Cabinet Reshuffle. Murayama was elected prime minister by the National Diet on 29 June 1994 after the threat of a no-confidence vote had brought down the previous minority Hata Cabinet. Murayama's and his cabinet's formal investiture by the Emperor took place one day later.

Murayama Cabinet

81st Cabinet of Japan
Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama (front row, centre) and cabinet at the Kantei, June 30, 1994
Date formedJune 30, 1994
Date dissolvedJanuary 11, 1996
People and organisations
Head of stateEmperor Akihito
Head of governmentTomiichi Murayama
Deputy head of governmentYōhei Kōno (1994-95)
Ryutaro Hashimoto (1995-96)
Member partyLDP–Socialist–New Party Sakigake Coalition
Status in legislatureCoalition majority
Opposition partyJapan Renewal Party (1994)
New Frontier Party (1994-96)
Opposition leaderTsutomu Hata (1994)
Toshiki Kaifu (1994-95)
Ichirō Ozawa (1995-96)
History
Election(s)1995 councillors election
PredecessorHata Cabinet
SuccessorFirst Hashimoto Cabinet

The coalition cabinet consisted of 13 Liberal Democrats, six Socialists (including the Prime Minister) and two members of New Party Sakigake. All ministers were members of the Diet, the only woman in the cabinet was science and technology minister Makiko Tanaka.

The government lasted until January 5, 1996, when Murayama announced his resignation. The 3-party coalition continued under LDP leadership with Deputy Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto becoming the new Prime Minister on January 11.[1]

Election of the Prime Minister

The decision by the LDP to support the leader of their traditional rival, the Socialists, for Prime Minister caused a split in party ranks. Former LDP Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu announced that he was leaving the party and was put forward by the anti-LDP coalition parties led by Tsutomu Hata and Ichirō Ozawa as their candidate for Prime Minister when the vote was held on June 29.[2]

29 June 1994
Absolute majority (256/511) required
House of Representatives
Choice First Vote
Votes
Tomiichi Murayama
241 / 511
Toshiki Kaifu
220 / 511
Tetsuzo Fuwa
15 / 511
Yohei Kono
5 / 511
Blank Ballot
23 / 511
Abstentions (Including Speaker and Deputy)
7 / 511
Source Political Data: Japanese Politics 1994

Since no candidate gained an absolute majority in the first round, a runoff vote between Murayama and Kaifu was held later the same day, with Murayama being elected with the support of the Japan Socialist Party, New Party Sakigake and the majority of the LDP.

29 June 1994
Simple majority required
House of Representatives
Choice Runoff Vote
Votes
YTomiichi Murayama
261 / 511
Toshiki Kaifu
214 / 511
Blank Ballot
29 / 511
Abstentions (Including Speaker and Deputy)
7 / 511
Source Political Data: Japanese Politics 1994

Ministers of State

  Socialist
  Liberal Democratic
  New Party Sakigake
  Independent
R = Member of the House of Representatives
C = Member of the House of Councillors

First Cabinet
Murayama Cabinet from 30 June 1994 to 8 August 1995
Portfolio Minister Term of Office Diet membership
Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama June 30, 1994 - January 11, 1996 R Ōita 1
Deputy Prime Minister Yōhei Kōno June 30, 1994 - October 2, 1995 R Kanagawa 3
Minister of Foreign Affairs June 30, 1994 - January 11, 1996
Minister of Justice Isao Maeda June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 C Wakayama
Minister of Finance Masayoshi Takemura June 30, 1994 - January 11, 1996 R Shiga At-large
Minister of Education Kaoru Yosano June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Tokyo 1
Minister of Welfare Shōichi Ide June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Nagano 2
Minister of Agriculture Taichirō Ōgawara June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 C national proportional
Minister of Trade and Industry Ryūtarō Hashimoto June 30, 1994 - January 11, 1996 R Okayama 2
Minister of Transportation Shizuka Kamei June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Hiroshima 3
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Shun Ōide June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Kanagawa 4
Minister of Labour Mansō Hamamoto June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 C Hiroshima
Minister of Construction Kōken Nosaka June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Tottori At-large
Minister of Home Affairs
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission		 Hiromu Nonaka June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Kyoto 2
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kōzō Igarashi June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Hokkaidō 2
Director of the Management and Coordination Agency Tsuruo Yamaguchi June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Gunma 3
Director of the Hokkaidō Development Agency
Director of the Okinawa Development Agency		 Sadayoshi Ozato June 30, 1994 - January 20, 1995 R Kagoshima 2
Kiyoshi Ozawa January 20, 1995 - August 8, 1995 R Tokyo 7
Director of the Defense Agency Masahiko Kōmura June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Yamaguchi 2
Director of the Economic Planning Agency Tokuichirō Tamazawa June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Iwate 1
Director of the Science and Technology Agency Makiko Tanaka June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Niigata 3
Director of the Environment Agency Shin Sakurai June 30, 1994 - August 14, 1994 R Niigata 3
Sōhei Miyashita August 14, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Nagano 3
Director of the National Land Agency Kiyoshi Ozawa June 30, 1994 - August 8, 1995 R Tokyo 7
Minister of State (Disaster management) Sadayoshi Ozato January 20, 1995 - August 8, 1995 R Kagoshima 2

Changes
  • August 14, 1994 - Environment Minister Shin Sakurai resigned after making controversial statements related to Japan's role in the Second World War and was replaced with Sohei Miyashita[3]
  • January 20, 1995 - Sadayoshi Ozato was moved to become the Director of the Disaster Management Agency in response to the Great Hanshin earthquake, and was replaced as minister for Okinawa and Hokkaido development by Kiyoshi Ozawa.

Other positions
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries Hiroyuki SonodaNPHHR, Kumamoto 2
Nobuo Ishihara
(until 24 February 1995)		––
Teiichirō Furukawa
(from 24 February 1995)		––
Legislation BureauTakao Ōde––

Reshuffled Cabinet
Murayama Cabinet from 8 August 1995 to January 11, 1996
Portfolio Minister Term of Office Diet membership
Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama June 30, 1994 - January 11, 1996 R Ōita 1
Deputy Prime Minister Yōhei Kōno June 30, 1994 - October 2, 1995 R Kanagawa 3
Ryūtarō Hashimoto October 2, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Okayama 2
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yōhei Kōno June 30, 1994 - January 11, 1996 R Kanagawa 3
Minister of Justice Tomoharu Tazawa August 8, 1995 - October 9, 1995 C National Proportional
Hiroshi Miyazawa October 9, 1995 - January 11, 1996 C Hiroshima
Minister of Finance Masayoshi Takemura June 30, 1994 - January 11, 1996 R Shiga At-large
Minister of Education Yoshinobu Shimamura August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Tokyo 10th
Minister of Welfare Tadayoshi Morii August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Hiroshima 2nd
Minister of Agriculture Hosei Norota August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Akita 1st
Minister of Trade and Industry Ryūtarō Hashimoto June 30, 1994 - January 11, 1996 R Okayama 2nd
Minister of Transportation Takeo Hiranuma August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Okayama 1st
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Issei Inoue August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Osaka 3rd
Minister of Labour Shinji Aoki August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 C Shizuoka
Minister of Construction Yoshirō Mori August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Ishikawa 1st
Minister of Home Affairs
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission		 Takashi Fukaya August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Tokyo 8th
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Minister for Disaster Relief and Reconstruction		 Koken Nosaka August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Tottori At-large
Director of the Management and Coordination Agency Takami Eto August 8, 1995 - November 13, 1995 R Miyazaki 1st
Masateru Nakayama November 13 - January 11, 1996 R Osaka 2nd
Director of the Hokkaidō Development Agency
Director of the Okinawa Development Agency		 Masaaki Takagi August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 C Hokkaidō
Director of the Defense Agency Seishiro Etō August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Oita 1st
Director of the Economic Planning Agency Isamu Miyazaki August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 - Not in the Diet
Director of the Science and Technology Agency Yasuoki Urano August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Aichi 4th
Director of the Environment Agency Tadamori Oshima August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Aomori 1st
Director of the National Land Agency Seiichi Ikehata August 8, 1995 - January 11, 1996 R Hokkaido 4th

Changes
  • October 2 - Following the 1995 LDP Leadership election Ryutaro Hashimoto became LDP President and replaced Yōhei Kōno as Deputy Prime Minister. Both retained their ministerial portfolios.
  • October 9 - Justice minister Tomoharu Tazawa resigned following a campaign finance scandal, and was replaced by Hiroshi Miyazawa.[4]
  • November 13 - Takami Eto resigned as Director of the Management and Co-ordination agency following controversial remarks about the treatment of conquered peoples during the Second World War, and was replaced by Masateru Nakayama.[5]

References
  1. "Murayama Resigns, Rules Out New Elections". Moscow Times. 6 January 1996. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. Blustein, Paul (June 30, 1994). "SOCIALIST ELECTED JAPANESE PREMIER". Washington post. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  3. Rei Shiratori (1996). "Description of Japanese Politics in 1995". European Journal of Political Research. 30. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  4. KRISTOF, NICHOLAS D. (October 10, 1995). "Tokyo Justice Chief Quits in Scandal Over Buddhist Funds". New York Times. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  5. "Japanese ex-minister found dead in Vietnam hotel room" - AFP - Nov 22, 2007 - Accessed Dec 1, 2014
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