TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s likely next prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has finalised a plan to appoint former regional revitalisation minister, Satsuki Katayama, as finance minister, broadcaster FNN reported on Tuesday.
Takaichi, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party chief, is all but certain to be elected as Japan’s first female prime minister at a parliamentary vote later on Tuesday.
A former finance ministry official-turned-lawmaker, Katayama chairs the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s research commission on the finance and banking systems.
She has a strong background in economic and finance fields, having served as minister in charge of Local Economic Revitalisation under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
As finance minister, Katayama will likely face a volatile foreign exchange market under the administration of Takaichi, an advocate of expansionary fiscal and monetary policy.
In an interview with Reuters in March, Japan’s economic fundamentals suggest the yen’s real value is closer to 120-130 per dollar.
(Reporting by Tokyo Newsroom; Editing by Tom Hogue and Stephen Coates)
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