• Japanese PM is planning to remove from cabinet or key party posts members of the faction previously led by slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, over the scandal

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio plans to appoint former Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi as chief cabinet secretary to replace Hirokazu Matsuno, amid a political funds scandal hitting the ruling party’s largest faction, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

Kishida, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is planning to remove from cabinet or key party posts members of the faction previously led by slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, over the scandal.

At a press conference, Kishida said he will appoint new members of his cabinet and the LDP’s executive team on Thursday. “Utmost efforts need to be made to prevent delays in state affairs,” he said.

Kishida called Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the LDP’s junior coalition partner, Komeito, and said the new appointments will merely be replacements of outgoing ministers, rather than a full cabinet reshuffle.

The prime minister is considering naming former Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada as LDP parliamentary affairs head to succeed Tsuyoshi Takagi.

Abe faction members are suspected of receiving kickbacks after selling fundraising party tickets in excess of faction-set quotas and of keeping the money off the book, in violation of the political funds control law.

In addition to Matsuno and Takagi, the prime minister plans to replace LDP policy chief Koichi Hagiuda, industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, internal affairs minister Junji Suzuki and agriculture minister Ichiro Miyashita.

Possible successors for the senior positions include Executive Acting LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Kajiyama, former Justice Minister Ken Saito, former economic revitalization minister Shigeyuki Goto and former health ministers Katsunobu Kato and Norihisa Tamura.

Hagiuda is expected to tender his resignation shortly, but Kishida is considering accepting it only after the government adopts its fiscal 2024 budget plan later this month, possibly on Dec. 22.

Hiroshige Seko, also from the Abe faction, has informed Kishida administration officials of his intention to quit as the LDP’s secretary-general in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament.

Kishida also plans to replace five state ministers belonging to the Abe faction, including Manabu Horii, state minister at the Cabinet Office.

JIJI Press