Prime Minister Kishida has indicated that he will make his own decisions regarding the advancement and withdrawal of Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Terada, whose political funding problems have become clear.
Before the deliberations on the supplementary budget bill, he plans to decide soon whether or not he will continue to serve after assessing the impact on the operation of the Diet.
Regarding Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Terada, problems related to political funds have become clear one after another, such as the local supporters' association listing a person who has already passed away as the accountant in the political funds income and expenditure report.
At a press conference held in Thailand on the 19th, Prime Minister Kishida was asked about Minister Terada's resignation, saying, "While we have to come to conclusions one by one on difficult issues such as the establishment of a supplementary budget, Cabinet ministers must also thoroughly fulfill their accountability. I would like to make a decision as the Prime Minister from these two perspectives.
Regarding Minister Terada, the opposition parties are calling for his dismissal, saying that he is "unqualified as the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications who has jurisdiction over political funds." There is a view that it may not be possible.
The Kishida administration wants to avoid the resignation of three cabinet ministers within a month, following former minister in charge of economic revitalization Yamagiwa and former justice minister Hari, as the Cabinet's approval rating continues to decline. I would like to expedite the enactment of the second supplementary budget bill for this fiscal year.
For this reason, Prime Minister Kishida plans to decide soon whether to continue Minister Terada after assessing the impact on the operation of the Diet before deliberating the budget.