Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday pledged to replace several ministers embroiled in a political fundraising scandal on the following day, shortly after an extraordinary parliamentary session wrapped up.
His ruling Liberal Democratic Party has recently been under heavy scrutiny amid accusations that its largest faction failed to declare hundreds of millions of yen in fundraising party revenue in political funding reports, possibly creating secret funds.
The House of Representatives voted down a no-confidence motion against Kishida's Cabinet, submitted by the leading opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan over the scandal, with the lower chamber controlled by the LDP and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party.
Among those involved in the scandal, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the top government spokesman, is suspected of failing to report more than 10 million yen ($69,000) in income earned from events hosted by the intraparty group formerly led by slain Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, investigative sources said.
"In order to restore the trust of the people, I will act as a fireball and stand at the forefront" of the LDP, Kishida said at a press conference after the end of the Diet session.
Matsuno will be replaced by former Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, a member of the LDP's fourth-largest faction formerly headed by Kishida, a source close to the matter said.
Former Justice Minister Ken Saito will become economy minister and Tetsushi Sakamoto, former minister in charge of regional revitalization, farm minister, while Takeaki Matsumoto will be reinstated as internal affairs minister, sources close to them said.
Kishida plans to dismiss economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, internal affairs minister Junji Suzuki and farm minister Ichiro Miyashita, all of whom are members of Abe's faction, according to government sources.
In the LDP executive lineup, policy chief Koichi Hagiuda has decided to step down, while Diet affairs chief Tsuyoshi Takagi is also likely to quit his post, sources close to them said.
The fundraising scandal drew public attention following a criminal complaint alleging five LDP factions, including Kishida's group, underreported revenue from political fundraising parties.
LDP factions have traditionally set lawmakers quotas for the sale of party tickets, usually priced at 20,000 yen. If they surpass their targets, the extra funds are passed back to them as a type of commission in some groups.
Facing growing criticism over the allegations, Kishida instructed the factions to refrain from hosting fundraising gatherings until measures are implemented to regain public trust. He also quit his faction.
Prosecutors are looking into a possible violation of the political funds control law as Abe's faction allegedly passed back to members party revenue from ticket sales amounting to around 500 million yen over a five-year period through 2022, the investigative sources said.
Dozens of lawmakers from the group, called Seiwaken, or the Seiwa policy study group, are suspected of receiving the money, with some apparently taking more than 40 million yen.
Prosecutors are considering questioning the lawmakers after the end of the Diet session, the sources said.
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