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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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time
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082189
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08218900.019
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1990-09-19
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WORLD, Page 38World NotesJAPANKaifu's Surprises
Who says Japan is dominated by male shogunists? Not,
apparently, the new Prime Minister, Toshiki Kaifu. Last week, in
a move to improve the scandal-ridden image of his Liberal
Democratic Party, Kaifu appointed two women to his 21-member
Cabinet. Sumiko Takahara, 56, a writer on economic affairs, became
Economic Planning Agency director, and former Labor Ministry
bureaucrat Mayumi Moriyama, 61, was named to head the Environment
Agency.
In a country where only three females have ever held Cabinet
posts, the appointments seemed a welcome change. But the L.D.P.
still has a way to go in reforming itself. Kaifu, 58, attained his
office by deal-making with ousted leaders Noboru Takeshita and
Shintaro Abe; in return for their help, Kaifu awarded their
factions powerful Cabinet positions. And Kaifu was already
bedeviled by unfounded rumors of sexual misconduct.