Japan's long-time opposition leader, Yukio Hatoyama, has taken office as the country's new prime minister.
Mr. Hatoyama said Wednesday he is excited by the prospect of changing Japanese history.
Hisformal election by parliament Wednesday marks the end of more than 50years of nearly unbroken rule by the Liberal Democratic Party.
Inhis first press conference as prime minister, Mr. Hatoyama said his newgovernment will face some trial and error. He called on the Japanesepeople to have patience.
Mr. Hatoyama named his cabinet members after being sworn in Wednesday.
He chose Hirohisa Fujii, a former finance ministry bureaucrat, to steer the world's second largest economy as finance minister.
Mr.Hatoyama nominated fellow party leader Katsuya Okada as foreignminister, tasking him with redefining Japan's relationship with theUnited States and Asia.
In a landslide victory last month, Mr.Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan won 308 of the 480 seats inparliament's powerful lower chamber.
The party has pledged tocut government waste and reinvigorate the economy, which isexperiencing a record high unemployment rate of 5.7 percent.
Mr.Hatoyama has pledged a more family-friendly, less pro-businessgovernment. He has also said Japanese foreign policy will shift awayfrom U.S. influence.