Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida sacks 3rd minister in a month

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has sacked his internal affairs minister over funding irregularities in a blow to his scandal-prone Cabinet that has already lost two ministers in one month.

The internal affairs minister in Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government was forced into resigning over funding problems on Sunday, in a blow to the scandal-prone Cabinet that has already lost two ministers in one month.

Minoru Terada has been under fire over several accounting and funding irregularities. In one, he acknowledged that one of his support groups submitted accounting records carrying a dead person’s signature.

“I apologize for the series of resignations,” Kishida said. “I’m aware of my heavy responsibility for their appointment.”

On Monday, Kishida pledged to regain public trust. “I will fulfill my responsibility by pursuing important policies that are piling up,” he said and pledged to ensure clarity on the issue of money and politics.

He appointed Takeaki Matsumoto, a former foreign minister, as Terada’s replacement.

Terada showed up at the Prime Minister’s Office late Sunday and told reporters that he had submitted his resignation to Kishida, though he did not say if he was urged to do so.

“I made up my mind because I must not interfere with parliamentary discussion of key legislations because of my problems,” Terada said.