Japan’s Reconstruction Minister Kenya Akiba submitted his resignation on Tuesday, leaving the fourth Cabinet-appointed cabinet. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida In August.
Three other ministers resigned in quick succession due to scandals, some involving fundraising and ties to the Unification Church.
The close ties between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and religious groups became apparent after the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and poll respondents cited it as a reason for Kishida’s low approval ratings.
After confirming Akiba’s resignation, Kishida told reporters, “I take my responsibility as an appointer (a minister) very seriously.”
I want to fulfill my responsibilities as prime minister by fulfilling my political responsibilities.”
Opposition parties have accused Akiba of being involved in election law violations and ties to the Unification Church, but Akiba has denied any wrongdoing.
After handing in his resignation to Kishida, Akiba told reporters gathered at the prime minister’s official residence, “I didn’t do anything that violated the law.”
“It was a difficult decision, but I handed in my resignation to the prime minister because I felt it should not interfere with the debate in parliament,” he added.
According to Kishida, Reconstruction Minister Hiromichi Watanabe will succeed Akiba.
Kishida said Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Mio Sugita had also submitted a letter of resignation.
In early December, Sugita retracted and apologized for many of his past comments, including calling sexual minorities “unproductive.”
The Sankei Shimbun reported Friday that some ruling party lawmakers have surfaced Jan. 10 as a possible date, and Kishida plans to revamp his cabinet by early next month to boost his waning popularity. There is growing speculation that they are planning to reorganize.
Kishida did not deny the possibility of personnel changes, but he denied the possibility that they would occur within the next one to two weeks.
“I’m not saying that I won’t consider reshuffling the Cabinet, I’m just saying that I won’t consider it during the year-end and New Year holidays,” he said.
