WORLD : Woman Replaces Japanese Cabinet Member Who Quit in Sex Scandal

TOKYO — Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu handed a key Cabinet job to a woman today, hours after its holder resigned in a flap over an extramarital affair.

Mayumi Moriyama, 61, director-general of the Environment Agency, was named to replace Tokuo Yamashita, 69, as chief Cabinet secretary, a highly visible post that includes speaking on behalf of the government and coordinating Cabinet affairs. She is the first woman ever to hold the post.

Yamashita’s is the second sex scandal to hit the conservative Liberal Democratic Party in two months. Sosuke Uno announced his resignation as prime minister in July amid allegations he had an extramarital affair with an ex-geisha.

Moriyama’s appointment was widely seen as intended to contain damage caused by the latest scandal, but analysts and party officials expressed doubt about whether she has enough experience to handle the current situation.

“I was just appointed, and I can’t really tell what it is going to be like,” she said in a news conference. “But as far as my near 40-year professional experience is concerned, I never felt any handicaps for being a woman.”

Yamashita announced his resignation this morning after apologizing for an extramarital affair with a bar hostess 43 years younger than he is.