Tokyo, 11 November, /AJMEDIA/
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to dismiss Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi after criticism over remarks widely seen as making light of his role in authorizing the executions of death-row inmates, a government source said Friday.
Hanashi’s removal is set to deal a fresh blow to Kishida after another minister was effectively sacked in late October over his suspicious ties with the dubious Unification Church, as public approval ratings for his Cabinet have been plunging recently.
Hanashi, who assumed the post in August, told a political gathering on Wednesday that the justice minister is a “low-key” position and it becomes “a top story in daytime news programs only when stamping a seal on documents of execution” in the morning.
Hanashi, who belongs to Kishida’s intraparty group within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, also said, “Serving as justice minister won’t help raise much money or secure many votes,” causing critics to lambaste him for disrespecting the post.
The comments came as the approval ratings for Kishida’s Cabinet have shown few signs of improving due to revelations of contentious ties between LDP lawmakers and the Unification Church, as well as scandals related to other ministers.
Late last month, Daishiro Yamagiwa resigned as economic revitalization minister for his close links to the religious group, while internal affairs minister Minoru Terada has been grilled over political fund scandals.
Amid the confusion involving Hanashi, Kishida has postponed departing for his trip to Southeast Asia scheduled Friday afternoon, according to the government.
Kishida was supposed to leave Japan to attend international gatherings such as Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related summits on Saturday and Sunday in Phnom Penh. The premier now plans to depart from Tokyo on Saturday.
After Hanashi’s remarks were reported Wednesday evening, Kishida continued to defend the minister and reiterated he had no intention of replacing him until shortly after noon on Friday.
Hanashi’s controversial comments, which he retracted the following day, drew criticism from both the ruling and opposition blocs. He made similar remarks about “stamping a seal” during several other meetings.
A former police bureaucrat, Hanashi has not authorized any executions as justice minister.
A sixth-term House of Representatives lawmaker representing a constituency in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, Hanashi previously served as senior vice minister of justice and senior vice minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
