Noda Cabinet ministers disclose assets

The government has disclosed the assets of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Cabinet members. Noda has been found to hold the least amount of assets of any prime minister since 2001.

The Cabinet ministers' assets made public on Friday include those of their immediate family members, averaging around 658,000 dollars each.

Noda's assets -- his home in Funabashi City near Tokyo and savings combined -- total 17.7 million yen or 230,500 dollars. He also reported borrowing about 440,000 dollars.

Of the 18 Cabinet members, Kenji Yamaoka, Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, was found to have the largest amount of assets, at around 3.3 million dollars, including savings and his home in Tokyo.

Yamaoka also holds some 97,000 shares in various firms and has 12 golf club memberships.

On the other hand, the minister in charge of the nuclear crisis, Goshi Hosono, reported the smallest amount of assets, with his home in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, worth just 96,500 dollars.

Friday, October 14, 2011 19:41 +0900 (JST)