The Democratic Party of Japan was quick to see in weekend opinion polls a reversal in its sagging fortunes after Naoto Kan was voted in as its president. The new prime minister has formed a Cabinet whose ranks include opponents to scandal-tainted DPJ strongman Ichiro Ozawa, who quit as secretary general last week.
But while critics said Kan showed guts in stifling Ozawa's influence over the party, they also said the "fresh" Cabinet faces scrutiny by voters seeking to be sure of its true colors.
"It was a bold and courageous move by Kan to end Ozawa's grip over the party," Satoru Matsubara, an economics professor at Toyo University, said of Tuesday's Cabinet appointments. But he noted government policies will probably remain unchanged from the previous administration.