TOKYO: Four newly appointed members of Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio’s cabinet attended a cabinet meeting on Friday morning, kicking off their duties as cabinet members on a full scale.

Kishida on Thursday replaced four cabinet members in response to a high-profile political funds scandal involving his ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s largest faction.

Speaking to government employees at the prime minister’s office a day after taking office, new Chief Cabinet Secretary HAYASHI Yoshimasa said, “I hope to work hard on regaining the trust of the public by fulfilling my duties of being in charge of overall policy coordination and crisis management, as well as the cabinet’s spokesman.”

“I want to support the prime minister and produce results by working as a team with all of you here,” he added.

In a regular press conference held earlier on Friday, Hayashi said that key issues directly affecting people’s daily lives, such as those of the government’s draft budget and tax reform package for fiscal 2024, are in their crucial stages.

“I’d like to tackle these matters with a sense of tension,” he said.

New Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications MATSUMOTO Takeaki, new Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries SAKAMOTO Tetsushi and new Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry SAITO Ken also held press conferences respectively after Friday’s cabinet meeting.

Admitting that public trust in politics has diminished because of the scandal, Sakamoto said, “I must straighten myself up and carry out my duties with a more serious attitude.”

“My appointment comes at a time when we are faced with an extremely severe and cold headwind,” Saito said. “I have no feeling of elation being a minister.”

Following the scandal that rocked the LDP faction previously led by the late former Prime Minister ABE Shinzo, Kishida made the decision to reshuffle the four cabinet posts that were occupied by the faction’s members.

Hayashi replaced MATSUNO Hirokazu as the top government spokesman, Matsumoto took over from Junji Suzuki as internal affairs minister, Sakamoto succeeded MIYASHITA Ichiro as agriculture minister and Saito filled the post of economy minister in place of NISHIMURA Yasutoshi.

JIJI Press