Press Conference by Taro Aso, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Minister of State for Financial Services

(Excerpt)

(Tuesday, June 14, 2016, 9:38 am to 9:57 am)

[Opening remarks:]

I would like to inform you of some senior executive changes at the Ministry of Finance and the Financial Services Agency, which were approved by the Cabinet today.

Regarding changes at the bureau level and above at the Financial Services Agency, on July 1 Mr. Kono, Vice Minister for International Affairs, will be honorably retiring, and Mr. Himino, Vice Commissioner for International Affairs will be appointed to replace him. In addition, on June 17, Mr. Ono, Vice Commissioner for Policy Coordination, will be appointed head of the Kanto Local Finance Bureau. His successor will be Mr. Morita, Deputy Director-General of the Planning and Coordination Bureau. Mr. Mori, Commissioner, Mr. Ikeda, Director-General of the Planning and Coordination Bureau, Mr. Mitsui, Director-General of the Inspection Bureau, Mr. Endo, Director-General of the Supervisory Bureau, and Mr. Sasaki, Secretary-General of the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, will remain in their present posts. This concludes my statement on personnel changes at the Financial Services Agency.

[Questions and answers:]

Q.

Mr. Himino and Mr. Morita are to be appointed Vice Minister for International Affairs and Vice Commissioner for Policy Coordination. Please tell us the purpose of these appointments.

A.

All I can say is that it’s about putting the right people in the right jobs. Mr. Himino has worked in international finance for many years, visiting international institutions over a long period of time, and I think it’s clear that he is highly trusted by international financial institutions around the world. So given his capabilities, I think he’s the right person for the job.

Q.

Mr. Morita was in charge of corporate disclosure during the Toshiba scandal. Is he being made Vice Commissioner for Policy Coordination because he performed well in that role?

A.

Vice Commissioner for Policy Coordination is a post that covers every facet of the FSA’s operations, and Mr. Morita has worked for long periods in the Supervisory Bureau and the Planning and Coordination Bureau, so for those reasons, I think he’s the right person for the job whichever way you look at it.