Among those to be separated are Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s right-hand man, Chief of Staff Hirokazu Matsuno, as well as Economy, Industry and Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, according to media reports.
The others are the Minister of the Interior, Junji Suzuki, and the Minister of Agriculture, Ichiro Miyashita, in addition to five vice ministers, indicated several media outlets citing unidentified sources from the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The ministers, whose replacements will be announced in the coming days, belong to the powerful faction of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, assassinated last year in the middle of a public event in central Japan.
The Liberal Democratic Party is a conservative political force in which dissimilar groups come together in constant struggle for power.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a press conference in Tokyo, December 13, 2023. Photo: Reuters
The fundraising scandal attracted public attention following a criminal complaint alleging that five LDP factions, including Kishida’s group, had hidden income.
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Shortly before the announcement, the House of Representatives had rejected a motion of no confidence against Kishida’s cabinet, presented by the opposition.
The ministerial crisis will have an impact on the foreign agenda of Prime Minister Kishida, who, according to local press, could cancel his scheduled trips to Chile and Brazil in January of next year.
Prosecutors are investigating allegations that some 500 million yen ($3.4 million) in bribes were paid to members of the faction, which was led by assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Matsuno, the government’s chief spokesman, declined Wednesday to give details but indicated that Kishida would “take measures to regain public trust.”
2023-12-14 02:55:21
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