Tokyo, June 3: Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is set to replace several ministers tomorrow in an attempt to secure opposition support for passing legislation to increase a tax on sales, reports on Sunday said.
Defence Minister Naoki Tanaka and Transport, Land and Infrastructure Minister Takeshi Maeda are expected to lose their jobs, the Yomiuri and Kyodo News said today, citing unnamed sources.
The leading opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has called for both to be dismissed after they were censured by the upper house in April for a series of gaffes and for trying to influence a local election respectively.
Farm Minister Michihiko Kano may also be replaced due to his alleged role in passing classified documents to a repatriated Chinese diplomat, whom police suspect of having engaged in spying activities, the reports added.
They came as Noda failed to convince Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the largest intra-party group of Noda’s Democratic Party, of his plan to hike the sales tax for the second time in a week.
Noda met Ozawa again Sunday to enlist support in enacting the tax bill during the current parliamentary session, but if the gridlock in his own party continues, the premier will likely turn to the leading opposition for support.
Noda has already told the secretary-general of his ruling Democratic Party of Japan to coordinate with the LDP so that the tax bill will be presented to a lower house vote before the session ends on June 21, local media reported. (Agencies)
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