Tokyo, June 03: Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has ruled out a cabinet reshuffle before he stands for re-election as head of his ruling conservative party in September, press reports said today. "Why do we have to reshuffle the cabinet before the (party) presidential election? What if another person becomes president?" Koizumi asked in a briefing with Japanese media about domestic politics late yesterday. He was speaking after the second day of the Group-of-Eight (G8) summit in the French Spa Resort of Evian, according to reports by the major Japanese papers, Jiji Press Agency and on Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK). Koizumi, whose reform policies are opposed by the old guard of his faction-ridden Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has been under pressure to purge his cabinet of the most enthusiastic reformers and unelected appointees in exchange for support for his re-election as party president.

The premier also said he would wait until the end of the party poll to think about dissolving the house of representatives to call a general election.
The current term of the lower house is due to end in June next year.


"There is one year left for the term," he noted. "It is true, though, that both ruling and opposition parties are making moves in the belief that it (a snap election) could happen any day now."


Bureau Report