Fumio Kishida, Japan's Prime Minister, speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, November 2, 2023. Kiyoshi Ota/Pool acquire license rights via Portal/File Photo
TOKYO, Dec 11 (Portal) – Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed on Monday to take steps to restore confidence in his government. He is reportedly planning to purge Cabinet ministers caught up in a donations scandal that has dealt a new blow to his public support.
The allegations that some lawmakers received thousands of dollars in unreported money represent the biggest political challenge to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since it regained its long grip on power in 2012.
A weekend poll showed public approval for Kishida's government hit a record low, while media reported on Monday that the main opposition party was preparing a no-confidence motion against top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno, the highest-profile minister implicated in the scandal.
“We will consider appropriate measures at the right time to restore public confidence and prevent delays in national policy,” Kishida told reporters on Monday.
The Asahi newspaper reported late Sunday that Kishida had decided to replace four ministers and 11 other ministerial positions in his cabinet. Other media reported that Kishida could reshuffle his cabinet as early as Thursday.
Asahi reported that in addition to Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno, Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, Interior Minister Junji Suzuki and Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita, who also included deputies and parliamentary secretaries, will also be replaced.
During his regular briefing on Monday, Matsuno largely repeated his earlier comments that an investigation was underway and he would take appropriate action.
“I intend to fulfill the duties assigned to me,” Matsuno told reporters.
Nishimura said Sunday he would remain in office and review his fundraising income.
Suzuki and Miyashita did not comment on the allegations.
The 15 officials Asahi reported would be fired are part of the LDP's largest and most powerful Seiwa-kai faction, which prosecutors have been investigating for allegedly hiding hundreds of millions of yen in political money over a five-year period should.
The group was formerly led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and is still often referred to as the Abe faction.
The LDP, which has been in power for almost all of Japan's postwar period, is expected to hold leadership elections in September and general elections no later than October 2025.
The scandal could spark a power struggle within the party that could affect the outcome of the leadership contest and the party's leadership.
Kishida will hold a news conference on Wednesday at the end of the current parliamentary session to explain his government's response, Asahi said.
Kishida, who took office in October 2021, has seen his cabinet's approval ratings decline in recent months, largely because of voters' concerns about rising living costs and looming tax hikes to finance his massive military buildup plans.
A Fuji News Network-Sankei poll released on Monday showed his government's popularity fell to a record low of 22.5%, down 5.3 percentage points from the previous month.
About 46% of respondents said they wanted Kishida to stay in power until his term as LDP leader expires in September, while about 41% wanted an immediate replacement.
Reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by John Geddie and Sonali Paul
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