Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday appointed Yukio Okamoto, the Cabinet's foreign policy adviser, as his top foreign policy aide.

Okamoto will play a key role in formulating policy on the reconstruction of Iraq.

The appointment, approved by the Cabinet, represents a promotion for Okamoto and boosts his capacity to engage in negotiations with foreign countries, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda.

Okamoto has just returned from a trip to the Middle East, where he met with high-ranking officials to discuss the reconstruction of postwar Iraq and Japanese assistance for neighboring countries.

"We have asked Mr. Okamoto to do a job involving direct talks with foreign countries on Iraqi reconstruction, and he needs a clear status to do that job," Fukuda said.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi voiced high hopes for Okamoto.

"The government will be focused" on Iraqi reconstruction, Koizumi said. "It's a good opportunity."

Okamoto, a former Foreign Ministry bureaucrat, is the third special aide appointed by Koizumi. A prime minister can appoint up to five special advisers on specific issues, such as administrative reform and national security.

The earlier appointments were Toru Makino for urban affairs and Takumi Nemoto for administrative reform.