Farm Minister Yana Tenders Resignation amid Scandals
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Kazuo Yana tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday to take responsibility for a series of scandals, including one about his remarks suggesting he had “cut” road budgets for municipalities whose leaders did not support him in the latest House of Representatives election.
Agriculture Minister Kazuo Yana announced his resignation on Wednesday, accepting responsibility for a series of scandals that have rocked his department. The resignation came amid intense scrutiny over his comments about cutting road budgets for municipalities that opposed him in recent elections. Opposition parties questioned Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Yana's administration providing free shuttle bus transportation for his supporters during the campaign period.
Takaichi stated she would investigate whether this amounted to a violation of laws or regulations. Yana had previously claimed his secretary had inquired about the legality of the shuttle bus service, though the Tochigi prefectural election commission stated they could not confirm receiving such a request. Yana's resignation was seen as the inevitable outcome due to growing pressure within the ruling coalition over the impact of the scandals on legislative proceedings.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
