Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama
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Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, his party flagging in polls ahead of a mid-year election, promised on Monday to find a way to regain public backing but said he was not considering a cabinet reshuffle now. Only one in four voters plan to cast their ballots for his Democratic Party in an upper house election expected in July, a Yomiuri newspaper survey showed on Monday, as funding scandals and doubts about the premier's leadership erode his support. The novice Democratic Party, which ousted the long-dominant Liberal Democrats last year, needs to win the election to avoid policy paralysis as Japan struggles to keep a fragile economic recovery on track and rein in its massive public debt. "The view is spreading among the people that nothing has changed from before," Hatoyama told reporters. - Reuters

Brief Topic: 
Japan