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Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Friday picked a new Cabinet that was a mix of old-guard legislators and several reappointments to restore confidence in his leadership amid flagging public popularity.
In an unusual move, he appointed two women, former telecommunications minister Seiko Noda, relatively popular as a consumers' advocate, and Kyoko Nakayama, a key figure in dealing with the emotional issue of Japanese kidnapped by North Korea decades ago.
The Cabinet reshuffle has been widely viewed as an attempt by the 72-year-old Fukuda to regain public support following scandals over missing pension records and alleged bribery in his bureaucracy.
Fukuda said his Cabinet would deliver "peace of mind" to the people by tackling reforms and getting things done.
"The mission of this Cabinet is to implement concrete policies," he said at a news conference. "We must cope with rising energy costs, a declining birth rate and an aging society."
The opposition has been pressing Fukuda to call elections amid voter outrage about emerging uncertainty over Japan's pension and health care systems.
Opposition legislator Mizuho Fukushima sharply criticised the new Cabinet as inadequate. "We can't expect very much from this Cabinet," she told nationally televised NHK TV news.
But Fukuda, who became premier in September last year, said he needs to stay on to create change, and said he would not dissolve parliament and call elections.
Japan, the world's second-largest economy, has eked out moderate growth in recent years but has been battered by rising oil prices and other economic uncertainty, including a US slowdown that is likely to crimp exports.
Political analyst Eiken Itagaki said Fukuda was trying to play it safe. "The Cabinet looks like more of the same. But he wanted to strengthen his position in his party to stay on," he said.
Indeed, many of the faces chosen were the same, including Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, Health Minister Yoichi Masuzoe and Nobutaka Machimura, the chief government spokesperson, who announced the Cabinet lineup.
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