Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. Photo: Kyodo
Four Japanese ministers resigned on Thursday (14 December) as unpopular Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reels from a major corruption scandal in the ruling party.
The cabinet crisis comes after allegations of kickbacks of 500 million yen (US$3.4 million) in the faction-riven Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades.
Matsuno, whose official title is Chief Cabinet Secretary, resigned on Thursday, following the resignation of Economy and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura.
According to Jiji Press and other Japanese media, Internal Affairs Minister Junji Suzuki and Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita are also stepping down, as are five deputy ministers.
The ministers are all members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) Abe faction, which is named after assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and is the largest and most powerful faction in the party.
According to news outlets, Japanese prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the faction over allegations of receiving approximately 500 million yen ($3.5 million) in fundraising proceeds that went missing from party accounts.
Kishida announced late Wednesday that he would reorganize his government as he battles the fallout from the scandal in the party that has led Japan almost continuously since World War II's end.
He expressed regret that the scandal had increased political distrust and vowed to take immediate action to address it.
Since news of the latest scandal broke a few weeks ago, Kishida has seen his public support drop to about 23 percent, the lowest since he came into office in October 2021, according to a recent poll by national broadcaster NHK.
Support for the LDP has also slumped.
Messenger/Sun Yath
