Koizumi to Reshuffle Cabinet if Reelected LDP Head

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Koizumi to Reshuffle Cabinet if Reelected LDP Head

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he will replace cabinet members if he is reelected president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sept. 20.

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Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he will replace cabinet members if he is reelected president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sept. 20.

"A cabinet reshuffle is necessary" for gaining public support for his reform efforts, said Koizumi at a press conference.

Some factions in the LDP have been urging Koizumi to remove some of his ministers, reportedly including Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka and Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, and instead fill the positions with figures from private sectors.

Koizumi hopes to close ranks among LDP factions by reshuffling cabinet to incorporate members of the party's non-mainstream factions, the leading Yomiuri Shimbun reported the same day, quoting party sources.

Koizumi said he has discussed his decision with some outstanding party members but has yet to work out a pink slip list.

On sending the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq for post-war reconstruction, the prime minister did not gave a timetable, saying he will "thoroughly check" on when and how big a deployment would go.

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