Fumio Kishida, Japan’s prime minister, dismissed four ministers on Thursday, as the ruling party is embroiled in a huge corruption investigation.
The scandal is around suspected kickbacks of 500 million yen ($3.4 million) in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed the world’s third-largest economy for over three decades.
According to media reports, prosecutors will begin raiding offices and questioning scores of legislators later this week.
Former Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, a high-ranking member of Kishida’s LDP party, took over as Chief Cabinet Secretary in lieu of Hirokazu Matsuno.
Ken Saito took over as Economy and Industry Minister in lieu of Yasutoshi Nishimura, while Takeaki Matsumoto returned to his former role as Internal Affairs Minister in place of Junji Suzuki.
Tetsushi Sakamoto, the new Agriculture Minister, took over after Ichiro Miyashita resigned.
Michiko Ueno, the prime minister’s special adviser, also resigned, as did five deputy ministers.
“The public’s doubts are around me over political funds, which is leading to distrust in the government. As an investigation is going on, I thought I wanted to set things right,” Nishimura told reporters.
Kishida said on Wednesday he would deal with the allegations “head-on”.
“I will make efforts like a ball of fire and lead the LDP to restore the public’s trust,” he told reporters.
Poll Ratings
Because of voter discontent over inflation and his handling of a number of previous scandals, Kishida’s poll ratings are the lowest for any premier since the LDP returned to power in 2012.
According to a new poll released on Thursday by Jiji Press, public support for Kishida’s government has dropped to 17.1 percent, a 4.2 percentage point drop.
The current scandal’s bribes allegedly went to party members who exceeded their ticket sales limits for party fundraising events.
“If you are confident of selling (tickets), if you sell more than you are obliged to sell, that will all become your income, so that’s easy and great,” a senior official who worked in the office of an LDP lawmaker told broadcaster ANN, his face concealed and voice disguised.
The kickbacks controversy involves the LDP’s largest group, which was led by ex-premier Shinzo Abe before his assassination last year.
The group led until recently by Kishida himself was also accused of neglecting to declare more than 20 million yen in the three years leading up to 2020, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
Stimulus
Kishida’s poll ratings have plummeted since the warring LDP chose him as a safe pair of hands in October 2021.
He previously reshuffled his cabinet in September and unveiled a stimulus plan worth 17 trillion yen ($117 billion) last month to strengthen the economy and alleviate the effects of rising prices.
The 66-year-old can reign until 2025, but there has been speculation that he may call a quick election ahead of a potentially difficult internal LDP leadership battle next year.
Analysts believe that removing members of the LDP’s largest group, which has roughly 100 members, will make his work even more difficult.
“This may not necessarily give Kishida more freedom in governing, as the break with the Abe faction could complicate the administration’s management,” Naofumi Fujimura, professor of political science at Kobe University, told AFP.
“The scandal has significantly undermined public support for the LDP and the Kishida government. However, it remains uncertain whether it will result in a change of government, especially given the currently low public support for opposition parties,” he said.