Japan
Japan retracts new flight bookings ban after criticisms
Japan says it has retracted a ban on new incoming international flight bookings to defend against the new variant of the coronavirus only a day after the policy was announced, following criticisms that it was an overreaction.
The transport ministry on Wednesday issued a request to international airlines to stop taking new reservations for flights coming into Japan until the end of December as an emergency precaution to defend against the new omicron variant.
The ministry said Thursday it has retracted the request after receiving criticisms that the ban was too strict and tantamount to abandoning its own people.
Read: Japan bans entry of foreign visitors as omicron spreads
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the quick reversal of the policy took into consideration Japanese nationals' traveling needs. Kishida has been pushing to take strong precautionary measures after his predecessor Yoshihide Suga virtually lost his leadership position amid public criticism that his virus measures were too limited and too slow.
“I have instructed the transport ministry to fully pay attention to the needs of Japanese citizens to return home,” Kishida said.
The request had aimed to reduce Japan's daily international arrivals to 3,500 from an earlier level of 5,000 to tighten border controls as the new variant spread around the world, officials said.
“The request, issued as an emergency precaution, triggered confusion,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters Thursday. He said the transport ministry has retracted the request for a uniformed stoppage on new bookings.
But a limit remains in place because the daily cap of 3,500 arrivals is being maintained. New bookings can be made as long as there is room under this cap, said transport ministry official Hitoshi Inoue.
Japan has already banned entry of foreign nationals from around the world, except for spouses of Japanese nationals, those with permanent residency permits and others subject to special considerations.
Read: Japan’s former princess leaves for US with commoner husband
Japan has reported two cases of the omicron variant, which was first reported in South Africa last week.
Japan had been easing social and economic restrictions after infections rapidly slowed since September.
The booking ban request was a disappointment for many people who were planning trips during the holiday season, including Japanese citizens living overseas hoping to return home for the New Year period.
Many on social media criticized the measure as too strict, and one user compared it to Japan’s feudal-era national isolation policy.
Much remains unknown about the new variant, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, whether it makes people more seriously ill, and whether it can thwart the vaccine.
Japan bans entry of foreign visitors as omicron spreads
Japan announced Monday it will suspend entry of all foreign visitors from around the world as a new coronavirus variant spreads, prompting an increasing number of countries to tighten their borders.
“We are taking the step as an emergency precaution to prevent a worst-case scenario in Japan,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. He said the measure will take effect Tuesday.
The decision means Japan will restore border controls that it eased earlier this month for short-term business visitors, foreign students and workers.
Kishida urged people to continue with mask wearing and other basic anti-virus measures until further details of the new omicron variant are known.
Many countries have moved to tighten their borders even as scientists warn it’s not clear if the new variant is more alarming than other versions of the virus.
The variant was identified days ago by researchers in South Africa, and much is still not known about it, including whether it is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness or more able to evade the protection of vaccines. But many countries rushed to act, reflecting anxiety about anything that could prolong the pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people.
Israel decided to bar entry to foreigners, and Morocco said it would suspend all incoming flights for two weeks starting Monday — among the most drastic of a growing raft of travel curbs being imposed by nations around the world as they scrambled to slow the variant’s spread. Scientists in several places — from Hong Kong to Europe to North America — have confirmed its presence. The Netherlands reported 13 omicron cases on Sunday, and both Canada and Australia each found two.
Read:WHO criticizes travel bans on southern African countries
Noting that the variant has already been detected in many countries and that closing borders often has limited effect, the World Health Organization called for frontiers to remain open.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, meanwhile, emphasized that there is no data yet that suggests the new variant causes more serious illness than previous COVID-19 variants.
“I do think it’s more contagious when you look at how rapidly it spread through multiple districts in South Africa. It has the earmarks therefore of being particularly likely to spread from one person to another. … What we don’t know is whether it can compete with delta,” Collins said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Collins echoed several experts in saying the news should make everyone redouble their efforts to use the tools the world already has, including vaccinations, booster shots and measures such as mask-wearing.
“I know, America, you’re really tired about hearing those things, but the virus is not tired of us,” Collins said.
The Dutch public health authority confirmed that 13 people who arrived from South Africa on Friday have so far tested positive for omicron. They were among 61 people who tested positive for the virus after arriving on the last two flights to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport before a flight ban was implemented. They were immediately put into isolation, most at a nearby hotel.
Canada’s health minister says the country’s first two cases of omicron were found in Ontario after two individuals who had recently traveled from Nigeria tested positive.
Authorities in Australia said two travelers who arrived in Sydney from Africa became the first in the country to test positive for the new variant. Arrivals from nine African countries are now required to quarantine in a hotel upon arrival. Two German states reported a total of three cases in returning travelers over the weekend.
Israel moved to ban entry by foreigners and mandate quarantine for all Israelis arriving from abroad.
And Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that Japan is considering stepping up border controls. Kishida told reporters that he planned to announce new measures in addition to the current 10-day quarantine requirement for travelers from South Africa and eight other nearby countries. Japan still has its border closed to foreign tourists from any country.
Morocco’s Foreign Ministry tweeted Sunday that all incoming air travel to the North African country would be suspended to “preserve the achievements realized by Morocco in the fight against the pandemic, and to protect the health of citizens.” Morocco has been at the forefront of vaccinations in Africa, and kept its borders closed for months in 2020 because of the pandemic.
The U.S. plans to ban travel from South Africa and seven other southern African countries starting Monday. “It’s going to give us a period of time to enhance our preparedness,” the United States’ top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said of the ban on ABC’s “This Week.”
Many countries are introducing such bans, though they go against the advice of the WHO, which has warned against any overreaction before the variant is thoroughly studied.
Fauci says it will take approximately two more weeks to have more definitive information on the transmissibility, severity and other characteristics of omicron, according to a statement from the White House.
South Africa’s government responded angrily to the travel bans, which it said are “akin to punishing South Africa for its advanced genomic sequencing and the ability to detect new variants quicker.”
Read:New omicron variant stokes world fears, triggers travel bans
The WHO sent out a statement saying it “stands with African nations” and noting that travel restrictions may play “a role in slightly reducing the spread of COVID-19 but place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.” It said if restrictions are put in place, they should be scientifically based and not intrusive.
In Europe, much of which already has been struggling recently with a sharp increase in cases, officials were on guard.
The U.K. on Saturday tightened rules on mask-wearing and on testing of international arrivals after finding two omicron cases, but British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government was nowhere near reinstituting work from home or more severe social-distancing measures.
“We know now those types of measures do carry a very heavy price, both economically, socially, in terms of non-COVID health outcomes such as impact on mental health,” he told Sky News.
Spain announced it won’t admit unvaccinated British visitors starting Dec. 1. Italy was going through lists of airline passengers who arrived in the past two weeks. France is continuing to push vaccinations and booster shots.
David Hui, a respiratory medicine expert and government adviser on the pandemic in Hong Kong, agreed with that strategy.
He said the two people who tested positive for the omicron variant had received the Pfizer vaccine and exhibited very mild symptoms, such as a sore throat.
“Vaccines should work but there would be some reduction in effectiveness,” he said.
Japan to support Bangladesh for quality infrastructure: Envoy
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki Monday said his country will continue to cooperate with Bangladesh for quality infrastructure development and support its Covid-19 efforts.
He also said the Japanese government revised the travel warning of Dhaka to level 1 on November 10, and it is expected that the number of visitors from Japan will increase and bilateral business partnerships will grow further.
With the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations coming up next year, more people to people exchange will be accelerated, Ito said.
The Japanese ambassador and Fatima Yasmin, secretary at the Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance, signed the exchange of notes of the 42nd Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the Covid-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan (Phase 2) ODA of Japan to Bangladesh.
READ: Bangladesh signs $2.665bn loan deal with Japan for implementing development projects
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal also joined the ceremony virtually.
This year's 42nd loan package comprises assistance of two projects amounting to $2.21 billion.
Also, the Covid-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan, which was first granted to Bangladesh last year, has been extended again this year as Phase 2 ($351 million) with very favourable terms – 0.55 per cent interest rate.
Based on this agreement between the two counties, Hayakawa Yuho, chief representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and Fatima signed a relevant loan agreement.
The 42nd package ($2.21 billion) and Budget Support ($351 million) will help Bangladesh achieve its aim of becoming a middle-income country and to conquer the Covid-19 pandemic, said the embassy.
READ: HC allows two girls to stay with Bangladeshi father in custodial battle with Japanese mother
Japan has been the single largest bilateral donor for Bangladesh since 2012, and the total amount of its aid as yen loan has reached $24.21 billion.
Bangladesh signs $2.665bn loan deal with Japan for implementing development projects
Bangladesh and Japan on Monday signed a $2.665 billion loan agreement for the implementation of Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power project (6th tranche) and Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line 1).
The agreement also covers the Covid-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan Phase-2.
Appreciating the agreement between Dhaka and Tokyo, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal who virtually joined the function said Japan has been Bangladesh's most trusted friend and the foundation of which was laid during the historic visit of Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Japan on October 18-24 in 1973.
READ: Consumers have to bear some of the burden of increased fuel price: Finance Minister
Economic Relation Division secretary Fatima Yasmin signed the loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Bangladesh chief representative Yuho Hayakawa Japanese while an exchange of note was also signed with Japanese Ambassador ITO Naoki on the occasion at the function held at the at NEC-2 conference hall of Economic Relations Division (ERD).
The finance minister expressed gratitude to the government of Japan for its involvement in a number of iconic mega projects in Bangladesh, including Bangabandhu Road and Rail Bridge over the Jamuna River, Metro Rail Networks in Dhaka city, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport 3rd Terminal, Matarbari Coal Fired Power Plant and Matarbari Sea Port.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Finance, Finance Division, Power Division, Road Transport and Highways Division, CPGCBL, PGCB, RHD, DMTCL and other officials of Bangladesh, representatives from Embassy of Japan and JICA were present at the loan signing ceremony.
Japan will finance the two development projects under the 42nd ODA Loan Package (1st batch) at an interest of 0.60 per cent for construction, 0.01 per cent for consultancy service, Front End Fee (at a time) 0.2 per cent with a repayment period of 30 years including a 10 years grace period.
However, the ‘Covid-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan Phase 2’ project’s interest rate will be 0.55 per cent, Front End Fee (at a time) 0.2 per cent having a repayment period of 30 years, including 10 years grace period.
Currently, the 1200 MW Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project is being implemented to meet growing electricity demand and improve stable power supply by 2 units, each having 600MW capacity at Matarbari in Maheshkhali Upazila under Cox’s Bazar district.
Power transmission lines, access roads, township development, and creating a channel for Matarbari Port works are included in the project.
READ: Youths to make Bangladesh prosperous, says Finance Minister
The implementation period of the project, involving the total cost of Tk35,984.46 crore (GOB 4926.66 cr. + JICA 28939.03 cr. + CPGCBL 2118.77 cr.), is July 2014 to June 2023.
As of October 2021, the project achieved physical progress of 49 per cent and financial progress 51 per cent.
JICA is providing assistance for this project in different phases. JICA has already provided $ 2.63 billion in 5 tranches. Under this, the 6th tranche of ODA loan for this project, JICA will provide $ 1.20 billion.
On the other hand, the 31.241 km Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line 1) km project will cost Tk 52,561.43 crore (GOB Tk 13,111.11 +JICA 39,450.32 crore) is divided into two parts—one is from Airport to Kamlapur and another is Purbachal route (from Natun Bazar to Pitolganj depot).
The 19.872km airport route will have 12 underground stations while the 11.369 km Purbachal route will have nine overhead stations. The project will be implemented from 2019 to 2026.
Japan’s former princess leaves for US with commoner husband
A Japanese princess who gave up the throne to marry her commoner college sweetheart left for New York on Sunday, as the couple pursued happiness as newlyweds and left behind a nation that has criticized their romance.
The departure of Mako Komuro, the former Princess Mako, and Kei Komuro, both 30, as they boarded their plane amid a flurry of camera flashes at Haneda airport in Tokyo was carried live by major Japanese broadcasters.
Read: Malala Yousafzai announces her marriage on Twitter
Kei Komuro, a graduate of Fordham University law school, has a job at a New York law firm. He has yet to pass his bar exam, another piece of news that local media have used to attack him, although it is common to pass after multiple attempts.
“I love Mako,” he told reporters last month after registering their marriage in Tokyo. They did so without a wedding banquet or any of the other usual celebratory rituals.
“I want to live the only life I have with the person I love,” he said.
Although Japan appears modern in many ways, values about family relations and the status of women remain somewhat antiquated, rooted in feudal practices.
Such views were accentuated in the public’s reaction to the marriage. Some Japanese feel they have a say in such matters because taxpayer money supports the imperial family system.
Other princesses have married commoners and left the palace. But Mako is the first to have drawn such a public outcry, including a frenzied reaction on social media and in local tabloids.
Read: California high court won't hear Brad Pitt divorce appeal
Speculation ranged from whether the couple could afford to live in Manhattan to how much money Kei Komuro would earn and if the former princess would end up financially supporting her husband.
Mako is the niece of Emperor Naruhito, who also married a commoner, Masako. Masako often suffered mentally in the cloistered, regulated life of the imperial family. The negative media coverage surrounding Mako’s marriage gave her what palace doctors described last month as a form of traumatic stress disorder.
Former Emperor Akihito, the father of the current emperor, was the first member of the imperial family to marry a commoner. His father was the emperor under whom Japan fought and lost in World War II.
The family holds no political power but serves as a symbol of the nation, attending ceremonial events and visiting disaster zones, and remains relatively popular.
Only males inherit the Chrysanthemum Thone. Mako is the daughter of the emperor’s younger brother, and her 15-year-old brother is expected to eventually be emperor.
Complicating the former princess’s marriage, announced in 2017, was a financial dispute involving Kei Komuro’s mother. That issue was recently settled, according to Kyodo news service.
Read: SSC, equivalent exams finally begin
When Kei Komuro returned from the U.S. in September, the couple was reunited for the first time in three years. They met while attending Tokyo’s International Christian University a decade ago.
In announcing their marriage, the former princess, a museum curator, made her choice clear.
“He is someone I cannot do without,” she said. “Marriage is that decision needed for us to live on, staying true to our hearts.”
Japanese Embassy awards video contest winners
Dhaka, Nov 12 (UNB) -- The Embassy of Japan in Dhaka has distributed prizes among the four winners of the 'Bondhutter Potaka' video contest.
The song celebrates the strong bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Japan and has also addressed the current crisis bought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read: ‘Read Japan’ to promote Japan in Bangladesh: Envoy
The song was composed and recorded by popular artist Tahsan Khan. The music video was one of the main highlights of Japan Fest 2021.
The video has so far garnered more than 750,000 views on YouTube. (https://youtu.be/eh5zzskJL8w)
Young Bangladeshis participated in the contest. Of them, four participants came out on the top.
Shojol Ahmed won the first prize, while Amit Kumar Kundu bagged the Tahsan Khan Award, Tithy Mazumer the DJ Rahat Award and Nishat Anzum Talika the Rafi Hossain Award.
Tahsan said that Japan has been the biggest development partner of Bangladesh. "The country has been making strides because of the hands of partnership Japan has extended. With that, I really truly believe this journey of friendship will continue get stronger as we move forward.’’
Japanese envoy Naoki highlights peace, prosperity in Indo-Pacific
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki has emphasised the engagement of his country in realising the prosperity of Bangladesh and maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
He emphasised the importance of realising Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), a vision to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
Read: ‘Read Japan’ to promote Japan in Bangladesh: Envoy
The ambassador delivered the lecture "Contemporary Japan: Its Foreign Policy, Security and Development Strategy" as a guest speaker of the National Defence Course 2021 at the National Defence College (NDC), Bangladesh Wednesday.
Kishida reelected Japan's PM in parliamentary vote
Fumio Kishida was reelected as Japan’s prime minister on Wednesday after his governing party scored a major victory in key parliamentary elections.
Elected just over a month ago by parliament, Kishida called a quick election in which his governing party secured 261 seats in the 465-member lower house — the more powerful of Japan’s two-chamber legislature — enough to maintain a free hand in pushing legislation through parliament.
The Oct. 31 victory increases his grip on power and is seen as a mandate from voters for his weeks-old government to tackle the pandemic-battered economy, virus measures and other challenges. Kishida said he saw the results as a signal that voters chose stability over change.
Later Wednesday, he will form his second Cabinet by keeping all but one of the ministers he appointed when he took office on Oct. 4, and then map out his economic measures and other key policies at a news conference.
Read: Japan votes in national election, 1st key test for Kishida
Kishida had been chosen by the Liberal Democrats as a safe, conservative choice a month ago. They had feared heavy election losses if the unpopular Yoshihide Suga had stayed in power. Suga resigned after only a year in office as his popularity plunged over criticism of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics despite concerns of a virus surge.
The better-than-expected election results may give Kishida’s government more power and time to work on campaign promises, including COVID-19 control, economic revitalization and strengthening Japan’s defense capability.
Kishida’s grip on power also may be strengthened by his Cabinet changes.
A key policy expert from his party faction, former Education Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, will be the new Foreign Minister, while former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will shift to the governing party’s No. 2 post.
Motegi voted for Kishida in the party leadership race and will replace party heavyweight Akira Amari, who resigned from the post over his unimpressive election outcome due to his past bribery scandal.
Though many of Kishida’s ministers are first-timers, key posts went to those from influential and party wings, including those led by ultra-conservative former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former Finance Minister Taro Aso.
Kishida promises to create a reinforcing cycle of growth and improved economic distribution to raise incomes under his “new capitalism” economic policy.
Kishida’s immediate post-election task is to compile a major economic stimulus package of about 30 trillion yen ($265 billion) that includes cash payouts, to be announced next week. He also aims to pass an extra budget by the end of this year to fund the projects.
Read:Japan's ruling party loses 1 of 2 by-elections in blow to PM Kishida
At a government meeting Tuesday, Kishida renewed his pledge to create a positive cycle of growth-distribution by bolstering investment and income.
Kishida is also expected to outline later this week his pandemic measures ahead of another possible surge in cases, which could affect his support ratings.
As a former foreign minister, Kishida will continue to prioritize the Japan-U.S. security alliance and promote a vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” with other democracies, including Quad dialogue members the U.S., Australia and India.
Kishida has stressed the importance of a stronger military amid worries over China’s growing power and influence and North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats.
He has opposed changes to a law that requires married couples to adopt a single surname, which forces most women to abandon their maiden names. The Liberal Democrats are widely seen as opposed to gender equality and diversity.
‘Read Japan’ to promote Japan in Bangladesh: Envoy
“Read Japan Project”, a book-donation project, has been taken to promote a better understanding about Japan and strengthen the interaction and educational exchanges between scholars from the region and beyond.
The book-donation ceremony was held at the Department of Political Science, Chittagong University (CU) on Sunday. The project was conducted by Nippon Foundation and the Japan Science Society (JSS).
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki introduced the book-donation project and reviewed the history of Bangladesh-Japan relations.
Also Read: Japan to work for development and stability in Bangladesh: Ambassador
He expressed his desire to strengthen further the relationship between the Embassy and the University of Chittagong in preparation for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bangladesh in 2022.
The books donated to the Department of Political Science range from politics and international relations, economics and business, society to culture, literature, and history.
Japan votes in national election, 1st key test for Kishida
Japanese voters are casting ballots in national elections Sunday, a first big test for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to determine if he has a large enough mandate to tackle a coronavirus-battered economy, a fast-aging and dwindling population and security challenges from China and North Korea.
Up for grabs are 465 seats in the lower house, the more powerful of the two-chamber Japanese Diet, or parliament.
Kishida's governing Liberal Democratic Party is expected to lose some seats from pre-election levels, but maintain a comfortable majority together with its junior coalition partner Komeito.
Kishida, 64, was elected prime minister on Oct. 4 after winning the leadership race in his ruling party, as its conservative leaders saw him as a safe status-quo successor to Yoshihide Suga and his influential predecessor Shinzo Abe.
Kishida’s immediate task has been to rally support for a party weakened by Suga’s perceived high-handed approach to pandemic measures and his insistence on holding the Tokyo Summer Olympics despite widespread opposition.
Kishida dissolved the lower house only 10 days after taking office, calling for this election and declaring that he wanted a mandate from voters for his new government before getting to work.
The short, 17-day interval between the lower house dissolution and the vote that followed the LDP leadership race, which had dominated media coverage, unfairly gave Kishida's party an advantage over the opposition, some experts say.
Read: Japan's ruling party loses 1 of 2 by-elections in blow to PM Kishida
Kishida’s long-term grip on power will depend on how well he does in the election.
Kishida repeatedly stressed his determination to listen to the people and to address criticism that the nine-year Abe-Suga leadership had caused corruption, tamed bureaucrats and muzzled opposing opinions.
The campaign has largely centered on COVID-19 response measures and revitalizing the economy.
While Kishida’s ruling party stressed the importance of having a stronger military amid worries over China’s growing influence and North Korea’s missile and nuclear threat, opposition parties focused on diversity issues and pushing for gender equality.
Opposition leaders complain that recent LDP governments have widened the gap between rich and poor, did not support the economy during the pandemic and stalled gender equality and diversity initiatives. Japan this year ranked 120th in the World Economic Forum's 156-nation gender-gap ranking.
Kishida has set a modest goal for the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito. He wants to jointly keep their majority, which would be 233 seats in the 465-member lower house. That's a low bar, considering that the LDP alone had 276 seats before the election. A big drop, even if the party keeps its majority, would be a bad start for Kishida’s weeks-old administration.
Media polls suggest the LDP is likely to lose seats, in part because five opposition parties formed a united front to unify candidates in many small electoral constituencies and are expected to gain positions there.
If, as many predict, the ruling coalition secures 261 seats, they could control all parliamentary committees and easily push through any divisive legislation.
Most results are expected by early Monday.
The opposition has long struggled to win enough votes to form a government after a brief rule of the now-defunct center-left Democratic Party of Japan in 2009-2012, as they have not been able to show a grand vision for Japan.
On the economy, Kishida has emphasized growth by raising incomes, while opposition groups focus more on redistribution of wealth and call for cash payouts to pandemic-hit low-income households.
Read: Japan's Kishida sends offering to controversial Tokyo shrine
Kishida, in his final speech Saturday in Tokyo, promised to spur growth and “distribute its fruit” to the people as income. “It’s for you to decide who can responsibly do so.”
The LDP opposes legislation guaranteeing equality for sexual minorities and allowing separate surnames for married couples.
Of the 1,051 candidates, only 17% are women, despite a 2018 law promoting gender equality in elections, which is toothless because there is no penalty. Women account for about 10% of parliament, a situation gender rights experts call “democracy without women.”
Voters, including young couples with small children, started arriving at polling stations in downtown Tokyo early in the morning.
Shinji Asada, 44, said he compared COVID-19 measures to pick a candidate, hoping for a change of leadership, as he thought the ruling party lacked explanation and transparency over its pandemic measures. He said that despite Kishida's promise to be more mindful of the people's voices, “I thought nothing would change (under him) after seeing his Cabinet," whose posts largely went to party factions that voted for him.
A 50-year-old part-time worker, Kana Kasai, said she voted for someone who she thought would “work fingers to the bone” for a better future.