New Ministers Raise Concerns for Takaichi Administration

Tokyo, Oct. 2 (Jiji Press)--Controversial remarks and alleged election law violations involving two newly appointed Japanese ministers have raised concerns within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party before a parliamentary session opens on Monday.

Opposition forces are poised to grill the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during the parliamentary session over her responsibility for appointing the two--agriculture minister Kazuo Yana and internal affairs minister Hisayuki Fujii. The pair assumed ministerial posts for the first time on Sept. 17 as part of Takaichi's cabinet reshuffle.

Yana reportedly told a meeting in Tochigi Prefecture, his home turf, in May that fiscal 2026 road budgets had been drastically cut for Nasukarasuyama and Nakagawa, municipalities in the eastern Japan prefecture, because of a lack of support for him.

The reported remarks came after Yana, an LDP member, lost to an independent candidate in the House of Representatives election in February. He was later elected as a proportional representation candidate.

When asked by reporters on Friday about the reported remarks, Yana said only, "I would decline to comment on matters related to my activities as a lawmaker prior to becoming a minister."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]