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Abe ignores party bosses
03/08/2007 10:33 - (SA)
Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday he will pick his new Cabinet by himself, defiantly showing independence over party bosses despite a crashing election defeat.
Abe has refused to resign but has promised to reshuffle his Cabinet after his conservative Liberal Democratic Party lost control of one house of Parliament in Sunday's elections.
Asked by reporters if he would accept recommendations from party faction leaders in selecting the next cabinet, Abe said: "I want to pick a person suited to each ministerial post."
Prime ministers in Japan traditionally named ministers based on recommendations from key factions of the party, which has been in power almost continuously since 1955.
Former premier Junichiro Koizumi broke the rule and Abe, who succeeded him last September, pledged to follow suit.
Plagued by scandal
But Abe - at 52 Japan's youngest premier in modern times - has faced accusations that he lacks authority, leading to the election defeat, after his first Cabinet was plagued by scandal.
In less than a year, three ministers have resigned and another committed suicide after scandals or gaffes.
Abe has come under strong pressure from party elders as he prepares the Cabinet reshuffle, expected later this month or in early September.
"It's better to form a team by listening to advice from leaders and each group of the party," former prime minister Yoshiro Mori said.
- AFP
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