Japan PM to Fire Second Minister in Funds Scandal: Asahi
- Faction members accused of concealing money raised at events
- All belong to group previously headed by the late Shinzo Abe
Fumio Kishida
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to fire a second top member of his cabinet and as many as three ruling party officials, the Asahi newspaper said, as a scandal over slush funds threatens the viability of his government.
Among those to be replaced is Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who has helped to drive Japan’s plans to regain its lost status as a world-class chipmaker. Two senior officials in Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party are set to be replaced and a third may be added to the list, the paper said, a day after reporting Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno was on his way out.