Japan PM to sack ministers in reshuffle: reports
TOKYO — Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda plans to sack two troublesome ministers in a cabinet reshuffle as he bids to clear the way for tax increases, according to reports.
Noda has ordered all members of his cabinet not to miss a meeting on Friday even if they have to change travel plans, Japanese newspapers reported on Monday.
Defence Minister Yasuo Ichikawa, one of the ministers in question, will cut short an official visit to Mongolia and return home on Thursday and Motohisa Furukawa, the minister of national policy, has cancelled this week's trip to the United States.
"The point is, I want all cabinet members to get together as soon as possible to create a solid team and work as one" before a regular session of parliament starts this month, Noda was quoted as saying Sunday.
Asked if he made the comment with a cabinet reshuffle in mind, the premier said: "I have said what I meant to say. Nothing more and nothing less."
With his approval ratings dipping since he took office in September, Noda is expected to fire the gaffe-prone defence minister and Consumer Affairs Minister Kenji Yamaoka, who has given his support to an alleged pyramid investment scheme.
In one slip, the defence chief described the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US servicemen in Okinawa as a "sexual orgy incident", angering islanders who are opposed to the huge US military presence there.
In December the opposition-controlled upper house of parliament demanded the sacking of the two ministers.
And opposition leaders have threatened to boycott parliament, which is expected to start on January 23 or 24, if they remain in office.
Noda needs the help of the opposition to pass a package of tax and social reform bills and see through his unpopular plan to raise consumer tax from five percent to eight percent in early 2014 and 10 percent in late 2015.
In a weekend media poll of eligible voters by Kyodo news agency, 52.9 percent of 1,016 respondents expressed opposition to the tax increase plan while 45.6 percent supported it.
Public support for Noda's government dipped to 35.7 percent from 44.6 percent last month, Kyodo said. The disapproval rating rose 10.2 points to 50.5 percent, the highest since Noda's rise to power.
Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.
Noda has ordered all members of his cabinet not to miss a meeting on Friday even if they have to change travel plans, Japanese newspapers reported on Monday.
Defence Minister Yasuo Ichikawa, one of the ministers in question, will cut short an official visit to Mongolia and return home on Thursday and Motohisa Furukawa, the minister of national policy, has cancelled this week's trip to the United States.
"The point is, I want all cabinet members to get together as soon as possible to create a solid team and work as one" before a regular session of parliament starts this month, Noda was quoted as saying Sunday.
Asked if he made the comment with a cabinet reshuffle in mind, the premier said: "I have said what I meant to say. Nothing more and nothing less."
With his approval ratings dipping since he took office in September, Noda is expected to fire the gaffe-prone defence minister and Consumer Affairs Minister Kenji Yamaoka, who has given his support to an alleged pyramid investment scheme.
In one slip, the defence chief described the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US servicemen in Okinawa as a "sexual orgy incident", angering islanders who are opposed to the huge US military presence there.
In December the opposition-controlled upper house of parliament demanded the sacking of the two ministers.
And opposition leaders have threatened to boycott parliament, which is expected to start on January 23 or 24, if they remain in office.
Noda needs the help of the opposition to pass a package of tax and social reform bills and see through his unpopular plan to raise consumer tax from five percent to eight percent in early 2014 and 10 percent in late 2015.
In a weekend media poll of eligible voters by Kyodo news agency, 52.9 percent of 1,016 respondents expressed opposition to the tax increase plan while 45.6 percent supported it.
Public support for Noda's government dipped to 35.7 percent from 44.6 percent last month, Kyodo said. The disapproval rating rose 10.2 points to 50.5 percent, the highest since Noda's rise to power.
Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.
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