Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda vowed Monday in his first Diet speech to recover the public's trust in the government &#8212; a trust damaged by the money scandals swirling around members of the Cabinet of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2007/nn20071002a1a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='166'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Yasuo Fukuda delivers his first policy speech as prime minister in the House of Representatives on Monday. </B> AP PHOTO</FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>The scandals and the pension record debacle led to the ruling bloc's huge upset in the July Upper House election.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The new prime minister said his diplomatic priorities are to continue Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean for antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan, to resolve the Pyongyang abduction issue and to continue pushing for North Korea's denuclearization.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Fukuda, 71, promised to engage the opposition camp now that the Democratic Party of Japan is the biggest force in the Upper House thanks to the July election.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>It was the first time Fukuda has presented his agenda in the Diet since he was elected prime minister Sept. 25. The extraordinary session had been suspended for almost three weeks after Abe abruptly announced Sept. 12, at the onset of the session, that he was stepping down.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Fukuda's moderate, even dovish, tone is in sharp contrast to his nationalistic predecessor, who used ideological slogans such as 'leaving behind the postwar regime' and advocated changing the pacifist Constitution. Fukuda made no mention in his speech of revising the Constitution or allowing Japan to engage in collective self-defense.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'Regaining trust in politics and the government is the –

urgent issue," Fukuda told the Diet in the 23-minute speech. "Without the people's trust, it is impossible to realize any policy or necessary reforms."

The remarks followed Fukuda's warning to his Cabinet last week to keep their hands clean over political funds.

On foreign policy, Fukuda said maintaining the Japan-U.S. alliance and cooperating with the international community is the basis of Japan's diplomacy.

He said the most pressing issues are continuing the Maritime Self-Defense Force's mission in the Indian Ocean and seeking an early resolution of the North Korean problems.