When Junichiro Koizumi was sworn in as Japan's prime
minister in April last year, one of his most daring acts was
to name Makiko Tanaka as his foreign minister-Japan's first
woman to hold the post. The daughter of former Prime Minister
Kakuei Tanaka. Makiko is known for her casual dress and blunt
manner. In the past, she has been voted Japan's most popular
politician, and her support for Koizumi was a key factor in
his victory.
But Tanaka has critics too, who question whether she's up
to the job of foreign minister. In the past, her outspokenness
has brought her censure as well as praise. She was ever
disciplined after referring to the late Prime Minister Keizo
Obuchi as a "dead duck" and "the king of debt." Other
political colleagues have received put-downs: One party
loyalist was described as "a bean-jam-filled wafer"; another
as "a glasses-wearing cherry."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tanaka began her new job by
addressing a recent controversy: the publication of a new
textbook that drew criticism from China and South Korea for
the way it glossed over Japan's wartime history. Her statement
that "some people were trying to distort historical facts" won
widespread approval-raising hopes that this unconventional
politician will provide an effective new voice for Japan.
According to a recent public-opinion poll, the support rate
for Junichiro Koizumi's cabinet marked an amazing record, 87%.
After Koizumi took office , the record popularity rating has
been rising. It is very unusual because most popular Cabinets
lose their support one month after their inauguration.
"Koizumi's high popularity is largely based on Tanaka's," says
one political analyst.
去年4
月份小泉纯一郎在宣誓就任日本首相的时候，所做的最勇敢的事情之一就是任命田中真纪子为外务大臣--这是日本历史上首位担任此职位的女性。田中真纪子是前首相田中角荣的女儿，她以其衣着随便与行为率直而著称。她曾被评选为日本最受欢迎的政治家，她对小泉的支持是后者能够获胜的关键因素。
然而，批判田中真纪子的也大有人在，他们质疑她掌管此要职的能力。过去田中真纪子的直言不讳使她在受到褒奖的同时也大受责难。她曾经由于把前任首相森喜郎说成“死鸭子”和“债务国王”而遭处分。其他的政治同行也难免奚落：一个党派忠诚分子被形容成为“夹满土豆酱的华夫饼”，而另一个则被叫做“戴眼镜的樱桃”。
于是，田中真纪子以一个有争议事件为题发表讲话作为新工作的开端就不足为奇了：即因为掩盖日本的侵略历史而遭到中国与韩国谴责的历史教科书问题。她讲话中的“有些人极力歪曲历史事实”使她赢得了广泛的认同，期望这位非传统的政治家会为日本政坛带来一种有效的新声音。
近来的民意调查显示，小泉内阁的支持率创造了令人吃惊的87%的高记录，在田中真纪子就职后，此记录仍在上升。这是迥乎寻常的现象，因为此前大多数原本很受欢迎的内阁在就职一个月后就失去了民众的支持。“小泉内阁能如此受欢迎主要是因为田中真纪子，”一个政治分析家说。
摘自《英语学习》2002年第1期（J-04）
