Fourth minister exits Japan PM Kishida’s four-month-old Cabinet after Akiba quits
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Opposition parties have accused Mr Kenya Akiba (centre) of being involved in violating election laws.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO - Japanese reconstruction minister Kenya Akiba tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday, marking the fourth minister to be let go since Mr Kishida created his Cabinet in August.
Mr Akiba will be replaced by former reconstruction minister Hiromichi Watanabe, Kyodo News reported on Tuesday.
“I take my responsibility very seriously as the one who appoints (ministers),” Mr Kishida said to reporters after confirming that Mr Akiba had quit.
“By rising to my political responsibilities, I hope to be fulfilling my duties as prime minister,” he said.
Opposition parties have accused Mr Akiba of being involved in violating election laws as well as for having ties with the controversial Unification Church.
Three other ministers have quit in close succession due to scandals involving funding and ties with the Unification Church.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s close links with the religious group, which critics say is a cult, were revealed after the killing of former premier Shinzo Abe and have been cited by survey respondents as one reason for Mr Kishida’s low approval ratings.
“There was not a single thing that I did that breached the law,” Mr Akiba said to reporters gathered at the prime minister’s office after he submitted his resignation to Mr Kishida.
“It was a difficult decision to make, but I tendered my resignation to the prime minister as I felt I must not hamper the debates in parliament,” he added.
Mr Kishida said Ms Mio Sugita, parliamentary vice-minister for internal affairs, had also submitted her resignation.
In early December, Ms Sugita retracted and apologised for a number of past comments, including calling sexual minorities “unproductive”.
Speculation has mounted that Mr Kishida plans to overhaul his cabinet by early next month to boost his sagging popularity, with the Sankei newspaper reporting last Friday that some ruling party members have floated Jan 10 as a possible date.
Mr Kishida did not rule out a reshuffle but played down the possibility that it could happen within the next week or two.
“I don’t mean to say I won’t ever consider a cabinet reshuffle, I’m just saying I’m not considering one over the New Year holidays,” he said. REUTERS
