Katayama to remain in post, Sengoku hints at replacement+

TOKYO, Jan. 10 Kyodo - Prime Minister Naoto Kan decided Monday to retain Yoshihiro Katayama as minister of internal affairs and communications in the expected Cabinet reshuffle later this month, sources close to him said.

Katayama, the only Cabinet minister from the private sector, is known for his
eight-year stint as a reformist governor of Tottori Prefecture and advocating
greater authority for local governments.
Kan is expected to reshuffle the Cabinet as early as next Monday following the
general meeting of his Democratic Party of Japan on Thursday.
The focus of the reshuffle is on how Kan will deal with Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yoshito Sengoku as the opposition-controlled upper house approved a censure
motion against him in November.
Sengoku himself said Monday during the taping of a TV program, ''It would be
desirable for me to be freed from a busy schedule as I have something that I
hope to carry out as a lawmaker,'' suggesting the possibility that he will be
replaced.
Sengoku, meanwhile, denied the possibility that the premier will step down amid
declining approval ratings, saying, ''He (Kan) does not think about it...He
will not give up his duty easily.''
Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda is considered a candidate to succeed Sengoku,
according to the sources.
==Kyodo