four ministers resign amid financial fraud scandal

Prosecutors are investigating suspected fraud targeting dozens of members of the Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. This political group has governed the country almost without interruption since its founding in 1955.

Four Japanese ministers resigned on Thursday, December 14, as part of a vast financial fraud scandal which is shaking the ruling party. “I presented my resignation to the Prime Minister”declared Thursday Hirokazu Matsuno, general secretary, government spokesperson and right-hand man of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister of Internal Affairs Junji Suzuki and Minister of Agriculture Ichiro Miyashita, as well as five vice ministers and other officials, also resigned. “There is public distrust of me regarding political funds, which leads to distrust of the government. As an investigation is underway, I thought I should set the record straight.”said Hirokazu Matsuno.

A weakened Prime Minister

According to the Japanese press, prosecutors are investigating suspected fraud targeting dozens of members of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), led by Fumio Kishida, a political group that has governed the country almost without interruption since its founding in 1955. These members of the PLD are suspected, according to several media, of having failed to declare the equivalent of several million euros collected through the sale of tickets for fundraising evenings, and which the party would then have paid to them. Its members would have received some 500 million yen (3.2 million euros) over a period of five years until 2022.

Judging “extremely regrettable that the situation has aroused distrust among the population”Fumio Kishida promised Wednesday to “turn into a ball of fire to restore confidence in the government”announcing that he wants “proceed quickly” to new appointments on Thursday. The Prime Minister who came to power in the fall of 2021, already very unpopular, is now only supported by 23% of voters, according to a poll published Monday by the public television channel NHK. His popularity rating was already weighed down by other areas of discontent among the Japanese, including persistent inflation and the fall in the yen which are weakening household purchasing power.