Abe's core team to keep jobs in Japanese cabinet reshuffle: sources

Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga would likely to retain their positions during the country's cabinet reshuffle to be held next month, local media reported Saturday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to keep the framework of a cabinet, which backed the stable running of government during his second term in office, according to government and ruling coalition sources quoted by Kyodo news agency as saying.

In addition to reservation of the core team of Suga and Aso, who is also deputy prime minister, Abe is planning a "greater than mid-scale" cabinet revamp aiming to build a "strong, new lineup," a ruling coalition source was quoted as saying.

It is expected that the reshuffle of both the cabinet and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership would take place on Aug. 3.

Olympics minister Toshiaki Endo is also expected to remain in his post in the reshuffle, in order to focus on preparations for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, said the sources.

However, Justice Minister Mitsuhide Iwaki and Aiko Shimajiri, state minister in charge of issues related to Okinawa and the Northern Territories, are likely to step down as both of them lost their constituency races in the upper house election, said the sources.

Earlier, the Japanese ruling camp led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe retained its majority in the parliament's upper house through a victory on July 10 election in the chamber.

Following the victory, Abe is planning to compile a new stimulus package so as to push his "Abenomics."

He will likely have the next stage of economic policies in mind during the upcoming cabinet reshuffle, reported Kyodo.

(APD)