Prime Minister Naoto Kan wants to rein in Japan’s public spending Japan’s cabinet has resigned prior to a reshuffle by Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
Mr Kan, who was re-elected as leader of the governing Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on Tuesday, is hoping to boost public support for the government.
He is expected to retain Yoshihiko Noda as Japan’s finance minister, and to appoint Banri Kaieda as his new economics minister.
The reshuffled cabinet is to be announced on Friday afternoon, said Mr Kan’s spokesman, Noriyuki Shikata.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada is leaving to become secretary general of the DPJ and is expected to be replaced by Seiji Maehara, currently land and transport minister.
Correspondents say other key ministerial posts, including defence and trade, are expected to be retained.
Earlier this week, Mr Noda oversaw Japan’s first intervention in the currency markets in six years to stem a rise in the yen and protect the country’s export-reliant economy.
He repeated on Friday that Tokyo was ready to intervene again if needed.
Mr Kan was re-elected as prime minister after surviving a party leadership challenge from veteran MP Ichiro Ozawa.
Mr Kan took office in June, and has said he wants to rein in spending and curb Japan’s massive public debt.
However, he faces a struggle in parliament because he does not have a majority in the upper house.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.