The retouching of the Democratic Party of Japan leadership, decided Monday by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, shows that he is more interested in avoiding friction within the party than in solving difficult problems the nation is facing.
Mr. Noda retained Mr. Azuma Koshiishi as secretary general, picked nuclear minister Goshi Hosono as policy chief and Finance Minister Jun Azumi as acting secretary general, and upgraded Mr. Kazunori Yamanoi, Diet affairs vice chief, to Diet affairs chief.
The intention behind Mr. Noda's decision to retain Mr. Koshiishi as the DPJ's No. 2 official is clear. Mr. Koshiishi is negative toward the promise Mr. Noda made to the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito that he will dissolve the Lower House "in the near future." Many DPJ Lower House members fear that an election at an early date will be disadvantageous for them, given the current low popularity of the DPJ.