Japan pm to reshuffle cabinet on June 4

Japan`s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Sunday that he will reshuffle his cabinet on Monday in a move to secure opposition support for passing his sales tax bill.

The prime minister told reporters Sunday about his plan for a cabinet reshuffle after failing to convince Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the largest intraparty group of Noda`s Democratic Party, of his plan to increase the sales tax.

"I told (Ichiro Ozawa) that I will reshuffle the cabinet tomorrow," Noda said.

Noda met Ozawa on Sunday, the second time in a week, to seek support in enacting the tax bill during the current Diet session.

But Ozawa said economic growth should come before a tax hike, and told reporters that he was "opposed to" Noda`s position.

Defence Minister Naoki Tanaka and Transport, Land and Infrastructure Minister Takeshi Maeda are expected to lose their current position, as the leading opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has called on both to be sacked after they were censured by the upper house in April.

Noda is aiming to increase the Japan`s current 5 percent sales tax rate in two stages, to 8 percent in April 2014 and to 10 percent in October 2015, to rein in the public debt of the country. (*)

Source: ANTARA