Japanese premier sacks minister amid falling Cabinet approval rating

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday sacked a minister over political funds scandal as the chief executive’s Cabinet is struggling with an approval rating in Japan.

Reconstruction Minister Kenya Akiba was sacked by Kishida amid his efforts to shore up support for his government which has seen several issues hitting its popularity.

It is the fourth minister in the past two months to leave Kishida’s Cabinet, which has seen its approval rating plunge to 33.1%, according to Kyodo News.

“Tough decision,” said Akiba after submitting his resignation to Kishida. He is set to be succeeded by Hiromichi Watanabe.

Removal of Akiba from the Cabinet is also seen as a pre-emptive move by Kishida to stave off any chance that can disrupt parliament’s 2023 budget deliberations in the coming days.

Akiba has been accused of violating public office election law, misusing political funds, and having links with the controversial Unification Church.

The church, now rebranded as Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, is under probe in Japan after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was killed in July by Yamagami, 41, who had said his family “was financially ruined after his mother made huge donations to the church.”

Around half of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers are said to be linked with the controversial group, founded by a staunch anti-communist group in South Korea in 1954 and is often labeled as a cult.

The controversy hit hard Kishida’s Cabinet’s approval ratings, following which the government rushed to pass a bill in the parliament banning organizations from “maliciously soliciting donations.”