Kishida suffers fresh blow as lawmaker arrest deepens scandal
PRIME Minister Fumio Kishida suffered another blow in Japan’s widest-ranging political scandal in decades with the arrest of a ruling party lawmaker on Sunday (Jan 7).
Kishida told reporters on Sunday that he was aware of the detention of Yoshitaka Ikeda, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party’s biggest faction, and called it “very regrettable, and we take it very seriously”. Ikeda will be expelled from the party, Kishida said.
It’s the first arrest of a politician in a slush fund scandal. Tokyo prosecutors detained Ikeda for allegedly failing to report 48 million yen (S$442,000) that he received from the faction, according to public broadcaster NHK. His secretary was also held, local media reported.
The deepening turmoil has pushed Kishida’s approval ratings to the worst for a Japanese prime minister since 1947 and may intensify speculation that his days at the helm are numbered. The embattled premier also faces a rising death toll from a 7.6-magnitude earthquake off the north-west coast on New Year’s day followed by a deadly plane crash at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Jan 2.
Tokyo prosecutors, Ikeda’s office and the LDP didn’t respond to phone calls from Bloomberg News seeking comment on Sunday outside of regular business hours.
In a pre-recorded interview that aired on Sunday on NHK, Kishida addressed the fallout from the political scandal and the tremor.
“I must offer an unreserved apology for causing such feelings of mistrust among the people of Japan,” he said. “I must take the lead in efforts to restore trust.”
The coming months will be make-or-break for Kishida. Key events that could either bolster his support or add pressure for him to step aside include the passage of the national budget in parliament and a potential state visit to the US.
Market analysts are watching the scandal’s spread, with some seeing that political stability could factor into the Bank of Japan’s decision to end negative interest rates. Most BOJ watchers expect a hike to take place by April.
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