Japan's prime minister Naoto Kan said Thursday he will reshuffle his cabinet on Friday, a move aimed at placating opposition parties and boosting his flagging support ratings as he tries to smooth the passage of the next fiscal year's budget through parliament. The reshuffle is unlikely to affect the post of Finance Minister, with Yoshihiko Noda, who was chiefly responsible for drawing up the budget bill, expected to stay in his job. Mr. Kan will likely use the personnel makeover as a bargaining chip with the opposition in steering the budget deliberations and to give a quick boost to his support ratings. "I would like to reshuffle the cabinet tomorrow," Mr. Kan said at a press conference after the annual convention of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.