PROFESSIONAL LUNCHEON
Renho
DPJ Member of the House of Councilors

The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with simultaneous interpretation

Renho, ruling Democratic Party of Japan member of the House of Councilors, sparked an uproar last November when she asked during a showdown with bureaucrats as part of the Hatoyama government's cost-cutting campaign, "What's wrong with being the world's No. 2?" in supercomputer development.

The remarks by the TV presenter-turned-upper house lawmaker threw some political colleagues and adversaries into consternation and prompted former trade minister Takeo Hiranuma -- now leader of a budding party -- to say that she is "not originally Japanese."

But 42-year-old Renho, who aggressively grilled bureaucrats during the first round of budget screenings as part of the efforts of the government to slash wasteful spending, is expected to do the same during a second round of budget screenings from April 23.

The daughter of a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother, Renho switched her citizenship from Taiwanese to Japanese in 1985 and was first elected to the upper house in 2004. She has also been active in many other big issues facing Japan -- nursing care, low birthrate, food safety, new flu scare and pension.

MENU
Sandwich: Crab, shrimp, mayonnaise, avocado, tomato & cucumber wrap.
Hot plate: Sauteed pork loin with red cabbage, green beans, carrots, caraway potatoes & onion gravy.

Renho, DPJ Member of the House of Councilors