TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio on Monday apologized for the recent series of ministerial resignations.

The resignations “are very regrettable, and I take seriously my responsibility for making appointments,” Kishida told a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, at the start of deliberations on the government’s fiscal 2022 second supplementary budget.

During the meeting, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki delivered a fiscal policy speech, and party representatives asked questions.

Kishida said he will fulfill his duties by getting the whole government to put all-out efforts into managing state affairs so that there are no delays in policy implementation.

Internal affairs minister Minoru Terada resigned on Sunday over a political funds scandal, becoming the third minister to quit in less than a month.

His departure resulted in a delay in the opening of the plenary meeting from 1 p.m. (4 a.m. GMT) to just before 3 p.m.

In addition, the ruling and opposition camps agreed to postpone to Tuesday Suzuki’s fiscal policy speech at a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, originally scheduled for Monday.

The Lower House steering committee scrapped a plan for Kishida to report on his recent Southeast Asian tour at a plenary meeting of the chamber Tuesday.

JIJI Press