Embattled Japan farm minister Yana resigns over controversies

Japanese farm minister Kazuo Yana resigned from the Cabinet on Wednesday due to controversies surrounding his past behavior in his constituency, causing a significant setback for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government. Yana, known as Takaichi's right-hand man on agricultural policy, cited the need to stop disrupting parliamentary deliberations and agricultural administration as his reason for stepping down.

This marks the first ministerial resignation since Takaichi reshuffled her Cabinet in mid-September. A successor to Yana will be announced on Thursday. The resignation comes after Yana's assertions that providing free bus rides to voters during election campaigns was legal were questioned. He had previously confirmed the legality of this arrangement with local electoral authorities, but later suggested they might not have inquired about its legality.

Opposition lawmakers put pressure on Yana, who is a sixth-term House of Representatives member from Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Takaichi acknowledged her responsibility for the appointment and stated that it is for relevant authorities to judge the legality of the bus arrangement.