{
  "id": 15363306,
  "title": "LDP Exec Denies Ex-Farm Minister's Influence on Budget Cuts",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/ldp-exec-denies-ex-farm-ministers-influence-on-budget-cuts",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-18T05:57:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Nippon.com News",
    "slug": "nippon-com-news",
    "url": "https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2026101800185/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--An executive of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sunday rejected allegations that former agriculture minister Kazuo Yana had swayed budget cuts for municipalities that opposed him in a recent election. Responding to Yana's claim that road budgets had been heavily trimmed for these municipalities, LDP Executive Acting Secretary-General Koichi Hagiuda stated on a televised debate show that \"we have been unable to substantiate that the allocations for individual projects were altered due to Yana's comments or actions.\" He emphasized that \"there isn't a system in place that permits a single lawmaker to either increase or decrease the budget of a local government.\" Apologizing for Yana's remarks potentially leading to his removal as agriculture minister, Hagiuda urged Yana to provide a clear explanation of his actions. He stressed that \"budget allocations must not be subject to arbitrary influence\" and called for a comprehensive investigation into any concerns regarding the distribution of funds, indicating the possibility of reviewing the appropriateness of budget allocations.",
  "summary": "Tokyo, Oct. 18 (Jiji Press)--An executive of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Sunday denied that scandal-hit former agriculture minister Kazuo Yana had influenced budget cuts for municipalities whose mayors did not support him in a general election. Commenting on Yana's remark that road budgets had been significantly reduced for the municipalities, LDP Executive Acting Secretary-G...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}