Shiozaki to be Japan chief cabinet secretary-Kyodo

TOKYO, Sep 26 (Reuters) Senior Vice Foreign Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki, 55, was set to be appointed to the key post of chief cabinet secretary in Shinzo Abe's new government, Kyodo news agency said today.

The chief cabinet secretary plays an important role in coordinating policy and acts as the government's top spokesman.

Abe had held the position himself since last October under his predecessor, outgoing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

A Harvard-educated former central banker, Shiozaki made his name in 1998 when he and other junior lawmakers helped draft new banking laws. He was also a founding member of a ''Group to Build a New Japan'' that in 2000 sought to revive the LDP's faltering popularity with voters. He has also held the post of parliamentary vice finance minister.

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