Jul 30 03:13 AM US/EasternTOKYO, July 30 (AP) - (Kyodo) — Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will make a decision as early as Thursday about reshuffling his Cabinet after ministers who attended the World Trade Organization talks return home, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Bunmei Ibuki indicated Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Fukuda in the afternoon, Ibuki said the prime minister told him that he will consult with the LDP about his decision and thoughts after he hears about the WTO negotiations.
The two ministers -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Masatoshi Wakabayashi and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akira Amari -- will return to Japan on Thursday afternoon and are scheduled to report to the prime minister about the negotiations.
There is a prevailing view within the ruling coalition of Fukuda's LDP and the New Komeito party that the prime minister will reshuffle his Cabinet on Monday as he is believed to be making final adjustments with the aim of implementing the reshuffle in August, according to political sources.
On when to convene an extraordinary session of the Diet, Fukuda is likely to make a decision after holding discussions with the ruling parties.
Fukuda has repeatedly said that he is working with a clean slate on the issue of whether to change the lineup of his Cabinet, many members of which he inherited in September from his predecessor Shinzo Abe.
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