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Japanese cabinet reshuffle

dendunced 'farce'

TOKYO: Japan's media and opposition on Wednesday unanimously denounced Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama's cabinet reshuffle as a "farce" with no purpose and little future.

The main charges levelled were that Tuesday's reshuffle was cosmetic and failed to address Japan's main problems, notably in economic policy.

It was supposed to renew the tottering government, but in fact changed no major posts.

The allocation of posts was dominated by consideration of internal politics of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

"Murayama lacked a sense of purpose and clear vision in forming a new cabinet," the Yomiuri newspaper said in an editorial.

"It is not in the least bit clear what the reshuffle was for," said the influential Asahi newspaper.

The reshuffle came after the parties in Murayama's ruling coalition -- his Socialists, the dominant LDP, and the small Sakigake party -- lost badly in Upper House elections in July, a result seen as a public vote of no-confidence.

But instead of the shake-up analysts said was needed to revive the government, the reshuffle left the key posts of prime minister, finance, foreign and trade ministers unchanged.

These were the people who had suggested they most wanted to leave the flagging cabinet, as membership of it started to appear a liability for political careers.

Murayama had said he wanted to give up the leadership to let the LDP fill it. Sakigake leader Masayoshi Takemura hinted just a week ago he wanted to quit as finance minister, and Yohei Kono had asked to stand down as foreign minister to concentrate on getting re-elected as LDP leader in September.

Murayama changed 16 of the 20 cabinet posts but these were mainly minor ones, and appointments were heavily influenced by LDP infighting -- an apparent return to the bad old days of Japanese politics when the party ruled for nearly four decades and decided top ministerial posts in battles between factions.

The main opposition New Frontier Party called for a general election -- something the battered government parties are increasingly afraid of -- and called the reshuffle "a farce".

"Why is Mr. Murayama reshuffling his cabinet? Because he wants to influence the outcome of the LDP presidential elections," said its leader, former prime minister Toshiki Kaifu. "Is this what a responsible government would do?"

Murayama said on Tuesday night the main task of the new cabinet was to rebuild the economy, and that this had been the object of the reshuffle. But newspapers said there was no evidence this had been seriously discussed.-Reuter