Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sacked his Internal Affairs Minister Terada Minoru on Sunday allegedly over allegations of accounting and funding irregularities.
Kishida reportedly summoned Minoru to his office and sought his resignation. Minoru is the third minister to resign from Kishida cabinet in a month.
Internal Affairs Minister Minoru Terada has been under fire over several accounting and funding irregularities. In one, he acknowledged that one of his support groups submitted accounting records carrying a dead person's signature.
“ I apologise for the series of resignations,” Kishida said. “I'm aware of my heavy responsibility for their appointment.” Kishida said he would announce Terada's replacement on Monday.
“I made up my mind because I must not interfere with parliamentary discussion of key legislations because of my problems,” Terada said.
Kishida, when asked last Friday about a possible dismissal, did not defend Terada and only said he was going to make his own decision.
Kishida said Sunday he believed Terada submitted his resignation in response to the comment he made in Bangkok after wrapping up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Terada had said he did not break any law, promised to fix the accounting issues and showed determination to stay on.
Opposition lawmakers said funding problems for the internal affairs minister, whose job is to oversee political funds, are serious and demanded his resignation.
His dismissal is a further blow to Kishida's Cabinet already shaken by the governing Liberal Democratic Party's close ties to the Unification Church, which has been accused of problematic recruiting and brainwashing followers into making huge donations, often breaking up their families.
The dismissal of Terada, a member of Kishida's faction in the governing Liberal Democratic Party, is seen as an additional embarrassment and a blow to Kishida's weakening grip on power.
Economic Revitalisation Minister Daishiro Yamagiwa quit on October 24 after facing criticism over his lack of explanations about his ties to the Unification Church, starting what became known as a resignation domino of the Kishida Cabinet.
Terada's departure comes only 10 days after Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi was forced to resign over his remark that his job is low profile and only makes news when he signs the death penalty.
Kishida, whose delayed decision in firing the justice minister, had to push back his November 11 departure for three Asian summits, sparking criticism from Opposition lawmakers and political watchers for being indecisive and lacking leadership.
Kishida returned to Tokyo on Saturday after a nine-day trip and apparently faced pressure from his governing party executives to make a quick decision on Terada before discussions on key legislations resume Monday.
Kishida's governing party needs to pass the second supplementary budget through March during the current parliamentary session, while also finalising work on a new national security strategy and mid- to long-term defence guidelines by the end of the year.
(With inputs from PTI)
