Kan Cabinet

The previous Prime Minister and DPJ president, Yukio Hatoyama resigned on 2 June 2010 on the background of an unpopular deal with the United States to retain the American military base in Okinawa and the DPJ's low poll numbers. Hatoyama's resignation triggered a DPJ presidential election, which was won by Finance Minister Naoto Kan. On 8 June, Kan was formally appointed by the Emperor as Japan's 94th Prime Minister.[1] The new prime minister conducted a cabinet reshuffle and promoted some senior party members to important portfolios, notable Yoshihiko Noda to the Ministry of Finance and Yoshito Sengoku to the Cabinet Secretariat. Kan became the second DPJ prime minister in just eight months.

In spite of a temporary recovery in approval ratings, the government lost its majority in the House of Councillors in the July 2010 election and was subsequently dependent on parts of the opposition for getting any bill through the now-divided Diet.

His government poorly handled the response to the massive earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan. The following nuclear accidents at private utility company TEPCO's nuclear power plant in Fukushima spurred the government to change the course of Japan's energy policy. Reversing the pro-nuclear policy of the previous administrations, Kan's government pushed for a conversion to renewable energy and eventual shut-down of Japan's nuclear plants.[2] Japan's nuclear power plants were completely shut down by May 2012, leaving Japan without nuclear-generated electricity for the first time since 1970.[3] Several of the plants were only brought back online after the DPJ was no longer in government. The LDP government led by Shinzo Abe gradually reopened the nuclear plants, starting with Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kyushu in August 2015. The restart has been slow due to legal challenges and heavy domestic opposition.[4]

  Democratic
  People's New
  Independent
R = Member of the House of Representatives
C = Member of the House of Councillors
N = Non-Diet member
Italics denote acting minister

First Reshuffled Cabinet

PM Kan with his reshuffled cabinet inside the Kantei, September 17, 2010.

Kan Cabinet from September 17, 2010, to January 14, 2011

Portfolio	Minister			Term
Prime Minister		Naoto Kan	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Minister of State for Promotion of Local Sovereignty		Yoshihiro Katayama	N	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of Justice		Minoru Yanagida	C	September 17 – November 22, 2010
		Yoshito Sengoku	R	November 22, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of Foreign Affairs		Seiji Maehara	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of Finance		Yoshihiko Noda	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology		Yoshiaki Takaki	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare Minister of State for Pension Reform		Ritsuo Hosokawa	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries		Michihiko Kano	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry		Akihiro Ohata	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs		Sumio Mabuchi	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of the Environment Minister of State for Disaster Management		Ryu Matsumoto	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of Defence		Toshimi Kitazawa	C	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Chief Cabinet Secretary		Yoshito Sengoku	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate Minister of State for Gender Equality		Tomiko Okazaki	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of State for Financial Services Minister of State for Postal Reform		Shōzaburō Jimi	C	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy		Banri Kaieda	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of State for the New Public Commons		Koichiro Genba	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of State for Government Revitalization		Renho	C	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011

Second Reshuffled Cabinet

PM Kan with his reshuffled cabinet inside the Kantei, January 14, 2011.

Kan Cabinet from January 14 to September 2, 2011

Portfolio	Minister			Term
Prime Minister		Naoto Kan	R	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Minister of State for Promotion of Local Sovereignty		Yoshihiro Katayama	N	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of Justice		Satsuki Eda	C	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of Foreign Affairs		Seiji Maehara	R	January 14 – March 7, 2011
		Yukio Edano	R	March 7–9, 2011
		Takeaki Matsumoto	R	March 9 – September 2, 2011
Minister of Finance		Yoshihiko Noda	R	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology		Yoshiaki Takaki	R	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare Minister of State for Pension Reform		Ritsuo Hosokawa	R	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries		Michihiko Kano	R	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry		Banri Kaieda	R	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism		Akihiro Ohata	R	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of the Environment		Ryu Matsumoto	R	January 14 – June 27, 2011
		Satsuki Eda	R	June 27 – September 2, 2011
Minister of Defence		Toshimi Kitazawa	C	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs		Yukio Edano	R	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission Minister for the Abduction Issue		Kansei Nakano	R	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of State for Disaster Management		Ryu Matsumoto	R	January 14 – July 7, 2011
		Tatsuo Hirano	C	July 7 – September 2, 2011
Minister of State for Financial Services Minister of State for Postal Reform		Shōzaburō Jimi	C	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety		Renho	C	January 14 – June 27, 2011
		Goshi Hosono	R	June 27 – September 2, 2011
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate Minister of State for Gender Equality Minister for Total Reform of Social Security and Tax		Kaoru Yosano	R	January 14 – September 2, 2011
Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy Minister of State for the New Public Commons Minister for Space Policy		Koichiro Genba	R	September 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011
Minister of State for Government Revitalization		Renho	C	January 14 – June 27, 2011
		Yukio Edano	R	June 27 – September 2, 2011
Minister of State for the Corporation in Support of Compensation for Nuclear Damage Minister for Power Saving Promotion Minister for the Restoration from and Prevention of Nuclear Accident		Goshi Hosono	R	August 10 – September 2, 2011

• List of Ministers of the Kan Cabinet - Prime Minister's Office (Kantei)