When Naoto Kan announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party of Japan presidency last week, he told reporters DPJ kingpin Ichiro Ozawa "should remain silent" for a while after quitting as secretary general, considering how his political money scandals helped speed the downfall of Yukio Hatoyama as prime minister.
In a bid to rebuild the DPJ's image, Kan's administration will try to distance itself from the "shadow shogun" with some fresh faces in the Cabinet and party executive positions.
But experts say that while Ozawa may have slipped under the radar for now, the veteran lawmaker's career is far from over and he is bound to make waves again depending on how the DPJ fares under its new management.