Japan PM won't hesitate to sack farm minister if illegality found

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has declared she will not hesitate to remove farm minister Kazuo Yana if any illegality is discovered in connection with recent allegations. The comments follow several media reports since late September alleging that Yana told supporters in May that road budgets had been drastically reduced for two municipalities whose mayors had backed his rival in the February general election.

Takaichi also described Yana's remarks as "deeply inappropriate" and "quite honestly, lame" during a House of Representatives session, stating she would carefully evaluate his fitness to continue in his role overseeing administrative management. Yana has since retracted the comments, claiming he did not pressure the land ministry to cut the budgets and would not resign.

However, he admitted to providing free shuttle bus rides to supporters during past lower house elections, an action which could potentially violate the Public Offices Election Act. Furthermore, Shukan Bunshun reports that Yana allegedly used offensive language towards reporters questioning him over the road-budget remarks during a recent visit to Kumamoto Prefecture, which was struck by a major earthquake in July.

Opposition lawmakers have intensified their criticism of Yana, questioning his suitability to hold a Cabinet minister position. If the road-budget claim proves to be true, it could be deemed as pork-barrel politics; if it is false, it would be considered as making false promises to voters. Some opposition parties are contemplating submitting a censure motion against Yana after his explanation at budget committee sessions in both Diet houses, which are set to continue through next Monday.