Professional Luncheon,
Seiko Noda,
Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, Food Safety
Minister of Consumer Affairs, Minister of Space Policy

The speech will be in English and the Q & A in Japanese with English interpretation.

*Please note the new starting time of 11:45, doors will open at 11:30.

In an elementary school writing class, Seiko Noda wrote that her dream was to be a politician and ultimately become Japan's Prime Minister. At an interview early this month, Noda avoided answering whether she wants to be the first female Prime Minister, but said, "at the moment, I would like to focus on leaving my name in Japan's history as a cabinet minister".

Seiko Noda, the new state minister in charge of consumer affairs, is known as a former "postal rebel" and was ousted once from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2005 for opposing then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's plans to privatize the postal system. She later returned to the LDP.

Noda started her political career as a Gifu Prefecture assembly member in 1987. After gaining a House of Representatives seat in 1993, she was appointed as postal minister under then Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in 1998 at the age of 37 -- the youngest minister in the postwar era.

A granddaughter of a former construction minister, Noda is serving her fifth term as a House of Representative. And her bi-weekly newsletter is named after her French Bulldog: "Catherine's Report".

Noda will talk about her new role as the state minister in charge of consumer affairs, an area with which she is very familiar. She has been the Chairman of LDP's Research Commission on Consumer Issues since 2007 when the commission started. And with her new role, she will be helping Prime Minister Fukuda to push for the establishment of a new government agency from the next fiscal year -- the Agency for Consumer Affairs.

Noda will be facing not only the opposition from the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which is presenting their own counterproposal for the new consumer agency, but also the difficulties of expected resistance from other government agencies concerned that the new consumer agency will take away some of their authority.

Sandwich: Roast beef, fried onion & lettuce with horseradish mayonnaise & green salad.
Hot Lunch: Tandori sea bream, mango chutney, yogurt raita, roasted bell pepper & steamed rice with green salad & bread.
Dining Room Special: Pan seared veal fillet, sauteed wild mushrooms & spinach, creamy mashed potato & peppercorn ragout with green salad, bread and dessert.

Seiko Noda, Minister of Consumer Affairs