Mori loyalists may be rewarded in reshuffle

By F.J. Khergamvala

TOKYO, DEC. 4. The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Yoshiro Mori is to announce a Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday. This is probably his last reshuffle but judging from the list of Ministers in the new Cabinet, its main feature is to reward loyalists, not respond to public disaffection.

A feature of the reshuffle, on the eve of a central government reorganisation, is the retention of a discredited 81- year-old, twice failed Prime Minister, as Finance Minister. Mr. Kiichi Miyazawa was offered and has agreed to stay on in the post. On the other hand, in another telling comment, the publicly respected head of the Economic Planning Agency, Mr. Taiichi Sakaiya has refused to stay on.

At the moment, the disapproval rate of the Mori Cabinet stands unchanged, at over 71 per cent, from a fortnight back when it was rocked by elements within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party joining hands with the united Opposition. Yet, Mr. Mori seems to turn a deaf ear to public opinion and prefers to depend on people who would prop him up in case of another challenge rather than attract bold people who would help initiate actions that could sway public opinion in his favour.

The timing of the reshuffle is dictated primarily by the central government reorganisation, to take effect on January 6. This is why it will be a full reshuffle. In the biggest post- war reorganisation, the P.M.'s office and 22 ministries and independent agencies will be compressed into a Cabinet office and 12 ministries-cum-agencies. One intention of the reorganisation is to empower Ministers and elected politicians over bureaucrats. It was therefore the right moment to shed geriatrics and bring in fresh, inquisitive minds to head the ministries. It would appear that in that direction, the only positive note may be the induction of Ms. Makiko Tanaka, daughter of the former Prime Minister, Mr. Kakuei Tanaka.

Ms. Tanaka has a reputation for taking on the bureaucracy and has the highest public rating among LDP politicians. However, ``within the party, there will be much opposition to her induction to a high position,'' said Mr. Takao Iwami, a well- known T.V. commentator and senior editorial adviser to the Mainichi.

Almost all newspapers have leaked the entire new Cabinet list. This is not new in Japan, but if at all it was Mr. Mori's intention to orchestrate the leaks to obtain public feedback, it is negative and will do little to improve either his image or the stock index numbers. The world's second largest economy and the globe's most solvent nation must be the only democracy where the news about retention of a Finance Minister finds no welcome in the stock market. During the recent attempt to dislodge Mr. Mori, it was Mr. Miyazawa who broke from his faction with a few other senior leaders and helped Mr. Mori survive. But the news of Mr. Mori's survival depressed both the market and the yen against the dollar. Last week, Mr. Mori suffered a serious blow. The man who really piloted the defeat of the no-confidence motion and who earlier helped put the Prime Minister in his seat in April through backroom discussions, Mr. Hiromu Nonaka, quit his job as party secretary-general.

Almost all analysts said Mr. Nonaka quit to distance himself from Mr. Mori. ``I do not expect him (Mr. Mori) to survive beyond early to mid-January,'' said Mr. Iwami. Mr. Nonaka belongs to the LDP's largest group, the Hashimoto faction which has been known to favour replacing Mr. Mori well before next summer's elections to half the Upper House. One likely and welcome inclusion in the Cabinet is Mr. Masahiko Koumura, the youthful former Foreign Minister. Together with the present Foreign Minister, Mr. Yohei Kono, it is Mr. Koumura who is thought to be a possible successor to Mr. Mori.

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Section  : International
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