Japan's Hatoyama appoints Fujii finance minister

Published: 15 Sep 2009 23:35:12 PST

TOKYO, Sept 16 - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama appointed veteran lawmaker Hirohisa Fujii as finance minister after taking office on Wednesday, a choice that soothed some analysts concerns that the new government's spending plans will inflate huge public debt.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano confirmed the appointment.

Fujii, 77, a fiscal conservative who has expressed concern about the size of Japan's public debt, is a 20-year veteran of the finance ministry and served as minister in the early 1990s.

Fujii's caution over intervening in currency markets and his backing for ultra-loose monetary policy means he is seen as a technocrat who is unlikely to rock markets.

Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan defeated the Liberal Democratic Party in an election on Aug. 30 to oust the long-ruling LDP for only the second time in its 54-year history.