Japan's government goes into cleanup mode

Editor's note: The average slave in Japan has no idea what actually goes on inside the halls of bureaucratic power within Japan's ruling class associated with the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party). The LDP has been in power since the end of WWII and is actually an extension of US rule over Japan. Japan's politicians are the highest paid politicians of any country in the world with the average salary now at ¥21.5 million (previously at ¥26 million). These are highly coveted positions within the LDP and require millions to keep these positions within the LDP. Japan's PM Kishida has the charisma of a wet dish rag with his approval rating dropping through the floor. Politicians are no different in Japan than they are in any other country. Always creating new and creative ways to skim off money.
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Source: Time

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Reportedly Set to Purge Cabinet Amid Scandal

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at the COP28 Climate Conference in

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 1, 2023. Sean Gallup—Getty Images

BY ISABEL REYNOLDS AND YUKI HAGIWARA | BLOOMBERG | DECEMBER 10, 2023

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to replace as many as 15 ministers and junior ministers, the Asahi newspaper said, as he seeks to contain the fallout from a slush fund scandal threatening to paralyze his government.

The reported purge of all officials from the Liberal Democratic Party faction formerly headed by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe comes as suspicions emerge that the group had systematically concealed political funds, the paper said late Sunday. Kishida also plans to oust Abe faction members from senior party positions, according to media reports over the weekend.

"I'll take appropriate action at the appropriate time, to avoid delays to management of the government," Kishida told reporters Monday, declining to comment further on his plans.

The highest-profile among those set to be ousted are Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who has helped drive Japan's plans to regain its lost status as a world-class chipmaker, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the top government spokesman. The reshuffle is likely to come after the end of the parliamentary session Wednesday.

It's unclear whether even such a drastic clampdown would stabilize support for Kishida's government, which is the lowest for a Japanese premier in more than a decade in some polls. While no general election need be held until 2025, the LDP could opt to replace him when his term as party leader ends in September, or earlier.

Read More: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Is Giving a Once Pacifist Japan a More Assertive Role on the Global Stage

A survey by the Sankei newspaper and broadcast news network FNN carried out Saturday and Sunday found support for Kishida's cabinet had fallen more than five percentage points on last month to 22.5%, a fresh low since he took office just over two years ago.

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