Friday, Aug. 1, 2008Kyodo News
In bid to boost standing, Abe's picks are set to be sent packing
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, badly in need of a popularity lift, plans to reshuffle his Cabinet on Friday, several senior lawmakers of the ruling coalition and a high-ranking government official said Thursday.
Although Fukuda did not explicitly say when he will change his Cabinet — an administration largely inherited from his unpopular predecessor Shinzo Abe — he did tell reporters Thursday evening at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, "Tomorrow, I will talk about the upcoming political schedule with the head (of New Komeito) and decide all."
According to the lawmakers, the reshuffle will be carried out after Fukuda meets New Komeito leader Akihiro Ota at 9 a.m.
Prior to the shakeup, Fukuda's Liberal Democratic Party will also rejigger key party posts, including the secretary general and chiefs of the policy research council and the executive council, they said.
Fukuda's decision is apparently aimed at revitalizing his anemic support ratings, which saw little improvement even after he chaired the July Group of Eight summit in Hokkaido.
Calls have mounted for Fukuda to form a Cabinet that reflects his own political stance, given that 15 of his 17 ministers served under Abe.
But political analysts say if his picks end up becoming embroiled in scandals over money or other shady misdeeds, as in Abe's Cabinet, Fukuda's desire to burnish the image of his administration may backfire.
The stakes are high. If his Cabinet reshuffle fails to impress, Fukuda will face mounting calls to resign or dissolve the Lower House, leading to a snap election.
Taking note of Fukuda's tight schedule in early August, most media had speculated the new Cabinet would be named Monday.
Fukuda is scheduled to visit Hiroshima on Wednesday for an annual ceremony memorializing the 1945 atomic-bomb attack.
This will soon be followed by a trip to China on Aug. 8 for the opening of the Beijing Olympics. On Aug. 9 he returns to Japan for another A-bomb memorial service in Nagasaki.
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