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.