TOKYO, JAPAN - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama plans to name ruling party lawmaker Yukio Edano as administrative reform minister, media said, in a bid to bolster flagging support for his government ahead of a mid-year election.

Edano, a 45-year-old Democratic Party member who was involved in a popular government waste-cutting task force last year, will take over the post from Yoshito Sengoku, who also holds the national strategy portfolio, Kyodo news agency said late on Tuesday, citing political sources.

Edano has been critical of Democratic Party kingpin Ichiro Ozawa, embroiled in a funding scandal that has eroded support for Hatoyama's administration ahead of an upper house election expected in July. --REUTERS