Four cabinet ministers resign amid fundraising scandal in Japan
On Thursday, four Japanese cabinet ministers resigned due to a fundraising scandal within the ruling party's dominant faction. Allegations suggest over 500 million yen (£2.8m; $3.4m) funneled into slush funds over five years through 2022.
Tokyo prosecutors have initiated a corruption investigation, as reported by Nikkei.
This scandal marks another setback for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government, which is facing declining popularity. Approval ratings for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) dropped below 30% for the first time since 2012, according to a recent NHK survey. Inflation and Kishida's response to previous scandals have fueled public discontent.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Economy and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, Internal Affairs Minister Junji Suzuki, and Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita are the ministers who stepped down. Their departures leave the LDP without representatives from its largest faction in the cabinet. The faction, previously led by late PM Shinzo Abe, also saw the resignation of five senior vice ministers and a parliamentary vice minister.
The allegations, sparked by a criminal complaint, revolve around unreported fundraising income and potential misuse of surplus funds. While selling tickets beyond quotas is legal, the accusations indicate the extra revenue was hidden in unofficial accounts.
Matsuno himself faces accusations of not declaring over 10 million yen. Other LDP factions are also under scrutiny for similar fundraising discrepancies.
On Wednesday, Japan's Lower House rejected a no-confidence motion against Kishida's cabinet. The LDP's leadership elections are scheduled for next September, with the next general election in 2025.
Despite Kishida's pledge to confront the allegations, his credibility suffers amid the scandal. "Kishida will stay in power for now, as no clear successors are apparent," said Yu Uchiyama, a political science professor at the University of Tokyo. "However, if a strong candidate emerges, Kishida's position might be jeopardized."
