内閣広報官に小野氏　外務省出身、２代続けて女性―政府

　政府は３日の持ち回り閣議で、体調不良を理由に辞職した山田真貴子前内閣広報官の後任に外務省の小野日子外務副報道官（５５）を充てる人事を決めた。山田氏に続き２代続けての女性広報官となる。
　加藤勝信官房長官は３日の記者会見で、小野氏の経歴に触れ「広報および報道業務の経験が豊富である方だ。内閣の重要施策を国民に分かりやすく伝えるなど内閣広報官としての役割をしっかりと果たすことを期待している」と述べた。
　小野氏は一橋大社会卒。１９８８年に外務省に入り、広報文化外交戦略課長や東南アジア諸国連合（ＡＳＥＡＮ）代表部公使などを歴任。官邸国際広報室長の経験もあり、２０１６年に東京五輪・パラリンピックの広報活動を行うスポークスパーソンにも起用された。（2021/03/03-11:58）

The Japanese government decided Wednesday to appoint Foreign Ministry Deputy Press Secretary Hikariko Ono as cabinet public relations secretary to succeed scandal-hit Makiko Yamada, who resigned on Monday citing her poor health.
   The decision to appoint the second consecutive female cabinet public relations secretary was made at a round-robin-style cabinet meeting.
   At a news conference on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said Ono has extensive work experience in the field of public relations and press. "I expect her to surely fulfill her duties as cabinet public relations secretary, which include explaining the cabinet's important policies to the public clearly," Kato added.
   After joining the Foreign Ministry in 1988, Ono, 55, assumed such posts as chief of the ministry's Public Diplomacy Strategy Division, as well as minister to the Mission of Japan to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. She has also served as head the Office of Global Communications at the prime minister's office. In 2016, Ono was named as spokeswoman for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
   When Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office in September last year, Yamada became the first female cabinet public relations secretary. But she stepped down after coming under fire for attending an expensive dinner paid for by senior officials of a broadcasting company, including the prime minister's eldest son, when she was working for the communications ministry.