As a third minister quits, Kishida hits lowest point in polls

Appointed in August, Interior Minister Minoru Terada resigns over illegal funding. In recent weeks, the economic revitalisation and justice ministers preceded him. Prime Minister Kishida pledges to regain public confidence with a new economic approach but doubts are growing about his leadership.

Tokyo (AsiaNews) – After weeks of rumours and tensions, Japan’s Interior Minister Minoru Terada resigned on Sunday, the third minister in Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet to quit in a month.

Terada took over as interior minister only last August, but he soon became a thorn in Kishida’s side. Not so much for his political positions – Terada is very close politically to the prime minister: the two have the same electoral base in Hiroshima and are members of the same faction in the LDP – but for the series of scandals he brought with him.

The now former interior minister came under fire from the opposition and the press for receiving illegal funding from his political support groups. Various charges have been filed against him.

Last week a Japanese weekly revealed that in 2021 Terada had declared certain electoral expenses as his own when in fact they had been made by his supporters in his favour.

Last month, it was reported that the 26,9 million yen (US$ 190,000) paid for the rent of his office went to a company in which his wife is one of the owners.

Last but not least, it turns out that the financial statements of one of his support committees were signed by a man who died in 2019.

Since, as Interior Minister, he was tasked with ensuring compliance with political funding rules, the whole affair took on a completely surreal tone after Terada said that he did not break any law when allegations of improprieties were made against him.

Pressed by reporters, Kishida initially did nothing about the interior minister saying that a cabinet reshuffle would take place at the right time.

"Cabinet members must fulfil their obligations to explain," Kishida said on Saturday. On Sunday, he pushed Terada to resign in an attempt to distance his administration from what increasingly looks like a scandal with no way out. A belated gesture, according to some.

Yesterday, Kishida apologised to the Japanese people, promising to regain their trust with new resolutions on the special budget and restrictions against extortion practices by religious groups. Yet, his leadership is generating more and more doubts, as the three recent resignations show.

For months, public opinion polls have not been favourable to the prime minister. Only 27.7 per cent of Japanese approve of his work, while 43.5 per cent are dissatisfied.

In late October, Kishida also fired Economic Revitalisation Minister Daishiro Yamagiwa over his undeclared close ties to the controversial Unification Church.

This month, Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi was forced to resign after he said that the media were interested in his ministry only when he authorised the execution of death-row inmates.

Now, following Terada’s resignation, another domino might fall. Akiba Kenya, the minister for post-Fukushima reconstruction, is currently embroiled in a scandal about illegal financing. His time might also be up, but that depends on Kishida alone.

• japan
• fumio kishida
• ministers
• resignation
• scandals
• illegal funding
• minoru terada
• yasuhiro hanashi
• daishiro yamagiwa
• unification church