Taking the podium following the announcement of his victory against Ichiro Ozawa in the Democratic Party of Japan presidential election Tuesday, Prime Minister Naoto Kan called for party unity and promised that now the battle is over, "there were no sides."
But Kan's new Cabinet and party leadership lineup announced Friday indicates a continued shift away from Ozawa, the party heavyweight often dubbed the "shadow shogun" for his political clout and penchant for backroom deals, with virtually no lawmakers from Ozawa's camp granted important posts.
Observers say the prime minister made a bold move by shutting out Ozawa's influence and siding with the popular voice resenting Ozawa's style of old-school money politics and sticking with his promise of striving for scandal-free "clean" politics.