Hatoyama finalizes his cabinet line-up

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Japan's incoming Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has finalized his cabinet line-up during a meeting of the Democratic Party of Japan.

The meeting formally approved acting President Ichiro Ozawa as the party's new secretary general.

Yukio Hatoyama hosted the joint plenary meeting of DPJ lawmakers from both lower and upper houses on Tuesday.

At the meeting, he appointed ex-party leader, Naoto Kan, as the State Strategy Minister and vice prime minister.

Another former party leader Katsuya Okada will become the foreign minister.

Hatoyama chose his top aide Hirofumi Hirano to be chief cabinet secretary.

The head of the People's New Party, Shizuka Kamei, was offered a post in charge of bank supervision and postal services.

Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima is state minister overseeing consumer affairs and family affairs.

The key finance post will likely go to veteran lawmaker Hirohisa Fujii. He was finance minister in 1993 and 1994, and will be given the task of lifting Japan's economy out of its deep slump and reducing record-high unemployment.

The final list will be announced Wednesday when Hatoyama is expected to be voted in as the next prime minister in a special Diet session.

Hatoyama's Democratic Party won the August 30th general election. And his new coalition government will also include those from the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party.