TOKYO (AFP) — Katsuya Okada, a senior figure in the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), is to be appointed the nation’s new foreign minister, newspapers reported on Saturday.

Japan’s next prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, has “decided in principle’’ on the appointment, which will be announced on September 16 when he takes office, the Mainichi Shimbun said, quoting sources close to Hatoyama.

Okada, the secretary-general of the party, has personal connections with influential figures in the United States and is also known as an advocate for Asian-oriented diplomacy.

News reports also said DPJ senior adviser Hirohisa Fujii is a likely candidate for the finance minister post, while former health minister Naoto Kan may be tapped for the head of the newly-formed National Strategy Bureau.