Renho, a member of Japan's House of Councilors whose father was Taiwanese, has been tapped to be the state minister in charge of administrative reform in the Cabinet to be formed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The Kyodo news agency reported that in light of Renho's experience in working closely with ex-Minister for Administrative Reform Yukio Edano to cut waste in the administration, Kan decided to appoint her to replace Edano for the sake of continuity. Edano is set to serve as the secretary-general of the Democratic Party of Japan, or the No. 2 figure of the ruling party. Born Hsieh Lien-fang on Nov. 28, 1967 in Tokyo to a Taiwanese father and Japanese mother, Renho, who goes by her first name, studied at Aoyama Gakuin school in Tokyo during her youth. After taking Japanese citizenship in 1985, she enrolled in the law faculty of Aoyama Gakuin University, graduating in 1990. She worked on several television and radio programs as a commentator and eventually became a newscaster on TBS and TV Asahi, covering several major events, including the Great Hanshin Earthquake. She was married in 1993 and studied Chinese at Beijing University in 1995, where she gained fame for arguing with a Chinese professor who spoke with contempt about Taiwan and Japan in class. After giving birth to twins in 1997, she returned to television in 2000, serving as an anchor or reporter on several TBS programs. She reported from Taiwan during Chen Shui-bian's presidential campaign, which brought her to the attention of Taiwanese political leaders. In 2004, she ran a successful campaign for membership in the House of Councilors on the ticket of the Democratic Party of Japan, earning her a six-year term. As an upper house lawmaker in Japan, Renho has maintained close contacts with groups of Taiwanese living in Japan and has criticized Japan's diplomacy with China and its refusal to recognize Taiwan. 