The average age of the Cabinet launched Tuesday by Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori is 66.05, the highest in 10 years.
Six of 19 ministers and agency chiefs in the Cabinet are 70 or older.
The most elderly member is Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, who is 80, followed by Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoichi Tani, 73, and Defense Agency chief Kazuo Torashima and Home Affairs Minister Mamoru Nishida, both 72.
The youngest is Education Minister Tadamori Oshima, 53.
The average age of the previous Cabinet, launched in April by Mori, was 63.08.
The previous record among the 16 Cabinets of the past 10 years was set by the Cabinet launched in October 1999 by the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, whose members averaged 64 years of age.
The lowest such figure was the 59.43 set by the Cabinet of Morihiro Hosokawa, which was formed in August 1993.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.