Japan's Takaichi to sack agriculture minister: Reports
Kazuo Yana had confirmed the authenticity of an audio clip in which he said one reason for the budget cuts in two municipalities in his constituency was their support of a rival candidate in a general election held in February.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has decided to replace agriculture minister Kazuo Yana, who had come under fire for his remarks about slashing road funding for municipalities that did not support him, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Wednesday (Oct 14).
His resignation would mark the first for the administration of Takaichi, whose popularity has remained at relatively high levels since she took her post a year ago.
Takaichi appointed Yana in a cabinet reshuffle last month to lead the ministry overseeing agriculture, forestry and fisheries, but had openly chided him in parliament for the remarks over the road funding, which local media first reported earlier this month.
The resignation comes during an extraordinary parliamentary session in which Takaichi faces a high-stakes challenge to win approval for key policy goals including a temporary sales tax cut on food and beverages.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
Opposition parties in parliament's upper house, where the ruling coalition lacks a majority, were preparing a no-confidence motion against Yana, while some threatened to block debate on the sales tax legislation until he stepped down, according to local media reports.
Yana confirmed the authenticity of an audio clip, obtained by several local media, in which he said one reason for the budget cuts in two municipalities in his constituency was their support of a rival candidate in a general election held in February. He has since denied having the power to sway such budget decisions.
His comment quickly drew wide criticism as an abuse of power. An opinion poll by public broadcaster NHK this week showed 78 per cent of respondents saying Yana's explanation was unacceptable. Support for Takaichi's cabinet fell 2 percentage points from last month's poll but remained elevated at 51 per cent, according to the same survey.
Grilled in parliament, Yana has also admitted that his campaign provided free transportation for supporters to attend his election rally, a move that some lawmakers criticised as a potential violation of election law.
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app