Japanese finance minister outlines future relations with UK
HE Mr Koji Omi, Japan's Minister of Finance, outlines his vision for the future of UK-Japan relations in a year that will see elections in Japan and a new prime minister in the UK.
Mr. Omi says that Japan is at a critical political juncture and that the ruling coalition is working to gain the trust of the people by continuing structural reforms and supporting innovation and openness, and by promoting fiscal consolidation and economic growth.
Mr. Omi also says that Japan wants to move forward with the UK to tackle the new challenges in the world such as development and the world economy, global warming, poverty and terrorism. The minister adds that during his visit he had had a 'fruitful' meeting with Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer at which they had discussed a wide range of topics including the global economy.
Bio
Koji Omi
Koji Omi is a Japanese politician currently serving as Minister of Finance in the cabinet of Shinzo Abe.
Omi was born in Numata, Gunma Prefecture and graduated with a degree in Commerce from Hitotsubashi University. He joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and later served as consul general of Japan in New York City and as Director of the Small Business Administration. He resigned from the bureaucracy in 1982 to run for office, and was elected to the Diet of Japan in 1983.
Omi was appointed as Director of the Economic Planning Bureau in 1997 and briefly as a state minister under Junichiro Koizumi in 2001. He was on a mission to the United States during the September 11, 2001 attacks.
He was appointed Minister of Finance on September 26, 2006.