Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda dismissed speculation Friday that he would reshuffle his Cabinet before the Diet opens later this month to shore up his poor public approval ratings.
"Honestly speaking, all of the Cabinet ministers are truly tackling the policies with all their might," Fukuda said at his first news conference of the year. "After various considerations, I would like the current Cabinet ministers to continue" with their jobs.
Fukuda and his Cabinet have been harshly criticized for the pension-record and Defense Ministry scandals, and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been calling for a reshuffle to remove the last vestiges of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet. The beleaguered conservative hawk abruptly resigned in September.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.