Anadolu staff
14 December 2023•Update: 14 December 2023
ANKARA
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Thursday removed from his Cabinet a group of ministers who belonged to ruling party's largest faction.
The sacking of the four ministers comes amid a raging political funding scandal which has dimmed public approval of the government to its lowest level since he took office in October 2021.
Japanese prosecutors are probing a criminal complaint which accuses five factions of the ruling party of underreporting revenue generated over five years through the end of 2022 through political fundraising parties. Prosecutors have already begun searching the homes and offices of lawmakers.
Among those who resigned are Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, Farm Minister Ichiro Miyashita, and Internal Affairs Minister Junji Suzuki.
Five senior vice ministers and a parliamentary vice minister also stepped down from their posts.
All of them belong to the largest faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, a faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who died of gunshot wounds last year.
Matsuno is suspected of not reporting around $70,000 in income generated from the group's fundraising events.
The controversy centers around many ruling party lawmakers alleged to have underreported revenues generated through electioneering.
The latest move is part of Kishida's efforts, as he appoints new faces to his Cabinet, to boost public confidence in the government.
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid
