Takebe says PM Takaichi offered him farm minister position in meeting

Former senior vice farm minister Arata Takebe revealed on Thursday that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi extended an invitation to him to assume the role of farm minister during their recent meeting. Expressing his intent to leverage his accumulated expertise, Takebe pledged to commit himself entirely to the position.

Takaichi's decision to appoint Takebe comes amidst growing concerns over the conduct of his predecessor, Kazuo Yana. The opposition parties are contemplating submitting a censure motion against Yana in the Senate, where the ruling coalition lacks a majority majority. This move aims to minimize disruptions to the government's legislative objectives, notably the passage of a bill concerning a temporary consumption tax cut during the extraordinary Diet session.

Takebe, a sixth-term House of Representatives lawmaker representing Hokkaido, currently serves as the deputy chairperson at the party's Policy Research Council. He has supported the two bids for LDP Policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi to assume the party presidency in 2024 and 2025. Yana had faced increased scrutiny following reports from late September alleging that he had misled his supporters regarding road budgets in two municipalities that did not endorse him during the February general election.

The pressure escalated this week with allegations that he provided free shuttle bus rides to his supporters during lower house elections, raising concerns about possible violations of the Public Offices Election Act.

Yana acknowledged the reports on Tuesday but maintained that he believed his actions were legal. However, his stance appeared to shift on Wednesday when he suggested that his staff may not have adequately consulted the local electoral committee to verify the legality of the shuttle bus arrangement. Yana subsequently tendered his resignation during a meeting with Takaichi on Wednesday night, which the Prime Minister subsequently accepted, stating that she could not disregard the situation in which Diet deliberations and agricultural administration continued to be adversely impacted.