Kishida suffers fresh blow as lawmaker’s arrest deepens scandal
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Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also faces rising death tolls from a 7.6-magnitude earthquake, followed by a deadly plane crash.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida suffered yet another blow in Japan’s widest-ranging political scandal in decades with the first arrest of a ruling party lawmaker on Jan 7.
Mr Kishida told reporters on Jan 7 that he was aware of the detention of Mr Yoshitaka Ikeda, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) biggest faction, and saying it was “very regrettable, and we take it very seriously”.
Mr Ikeda will be expelled from the party, he added.
It is the first arrest of a politician in a slush fund scandal.
Tokyo prosecutors detained Mr Ikeda for allegedly failing to report 48 million yen (S$441,600) that he received from the faction, according to public broadcaster NHK. Mr Ikeda’s secretary was also held, local media reported.
The deepening turmoil has pushed Mr Kishida’s disapproval ratings to the worst for a Japanese prime minister since 1947, and may intensify speculation that his days at the helm are numbered.
The embattled Premier also faces rising death tolls from a magnitude-7.6 earthquake off Japan’s north-west coast on New Year’s Day, followed by a deadly plane collision at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Jan 2.
Tokyo prosecutors, Mr Ikeda’s office and the LDP did not respond to phone calls from Bloomberg News seeking comment on Jan 7 outside of regular business hours.
In a pre-recorded interview that aired on Jan 7 on NHK, Mr Kishida addressed the fallout from the political scandal and the tremor.
“I must offer an unreserved apology for causing such feelings of mistrust among the people of Japan,” he said. “I must take the lead in efforts to restore trust.”
The coming months may be a make-or-break period for Mr Kishida. Key events that could either bolster his support or clear the way for him to step aside include the passage of the national budget in Parliament and a potential state visit to the United States.
Market analysts are watching the scandal’s spread, with some seeing that political stability could factor into the Bank of Japan’s decision to end negative interest rates. Most Bank of Japan watchers expect a hike to take place by April.
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