Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Sunday he will reshuffle his Cabinet in a bid to win opposition support for his administration's unpopular tax hike bill.
Although Noda refused to give any specifics on the shakeup, expected Monday, Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka and land minister Takeshi Maeda, who were censured by the opposition-controlled Upper House in April, are likely to face the ax.
Other names being floated are agriculture and justice chiefs Michihiko Kano and Toshio Ogawa, respectively.