“Koizumi Is an Obstacle for Reformation”

The `tongue` of former Foreign Minister Tanaka Makiko is as bitter as usual.

The former Foreign Minister Tanaka Makiko was present at parliamentary committee for budget as a reference for an hour and a half on the 20th, and gestured directly confronting Prime Minister by criticizing Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro, who dumped her and revealing Prime Minister Office`s intervention in appointments and the conflicts with officers of Foreign Ministry.

The testimony on the day is to inquire into whether Suzuki Muneo, who is at enmity with former Foreign Minister Tanaka, intervened in the ministry`s decision to prevent two non-governmental organizations from participating in the international donor conference for Afghanistan, held last month in Tokyo. NHK broadcast the meeting of budget committee live over the country.

The former Foreign Minister Tanaka said, "Prime Minister Koizumi misjudged to fire me." and insisted, "if the conflict with an officer of Foreign Affair Ministry had been the cause of reshuffle, he should have censured the officer first."

And she added, "Prime Minister`s opinion on restructure looks new externally, but he himself became an `obstacle` through his words." She insisted that when she requested him to exclude those who are close to Foreign Ministry Office, he ignored by saying `I didn`t hear it.` even though he had told her to `do as I wish`. She said, "I felt he was the one who stepped on the front of my skirt."

Tanaka former Foreign Minister remarked cynically, "when selecting a person for vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Prime Minister came to my office and recommended another person for the post, who is far from my expectation. Is the Chief Cabinet Secretary of Prime Minister so influential? I thought Prime Minister`s office was the Foreign Minister."

And she said a spiteful thing on the successor Kawaguchi Yoriko Minister of Foreign Affairs, saying, "she just reads what the officers wrote for her."

The former Foreign Minister Tanaka repeatedly emphasized that she didn`t receive the invitation to the reception to welcome U.S. President George W. Bush, and made a cutting remark to Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda Yasuo, who insisted on `having sent an invitation card` saying, "mistaking is his special talent."

ksshim@donga.com