The appointment of Satoshi Morimoto as Japan’s defense minister is viewed as part of a broader effort to remove unpopular ministers as the government faces tough financial decisions.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda appointed Morimoto, a 71-year old academic, to replace the discredited and gaffe-prone Naoki Tanaka, as part of a second major overhaul of the Democratic Party of Japan’s Cabinet.

Morimoto, a professor at Japan’s conservative-leaning Takushoku University, joined the then-Defense Agency in 1965, serving in the Air Self-Defense Force, before joining the Foreign Ministry in 1979, where he became director of the national security policy division. While in the Foreign Ministry, he received a master’s degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University in 1980.