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Senior Japanese ruling party official to resign over scandal

Tokyo, Dec 13 (EFE).- The head of political strategy of the Japanese ruling party, an important position in the country’s political fabric, will resign due to his alleged connection with financing and tax irregularities, local media reported Wednesday.

The planned resignation of Koichi Hagiuda, leaked by media such as the public broadcaster NHK, is the first known after the scandal came to light, a new blow to the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose approval ratings are at a minimum.

The former economy minister and strongman within the Liberal Democratic Party, whose internal policy division he presides, comes amid leaks that show Kishida plans to replace four of his ministers involved in the case as soon as possible.

The cabinet reshuffles in Japan are being used by the chief executive to also review important internal positions in his party and Hagiuda would have decided to resign before the purge.

The new crisis in Kishida’s administration is due to a scandal of apparent financing irregularities of the party and a series of black payments linked to them by important figures of the party at least between 2018 and 2022.

Among the figures who have been linked to the case are the spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno; Economy, Commerce and Industry head Yasutoshi Nishimura; Interior Minister Junji Suzuki, and Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita.

Other important profiles in the party marred by irregularities are the secretary general of the party in the upper house Hiroshige Seko and former Olympic Games Minister Seiko Hashimoto, according to leaks from local media. Seko would also have decided to leave her current position, according to NHK.

The case remains under investigation by the prosecutor’s office and at the moment no formal charges have been filed, but it led to an unsuccessful no confidence vote against Matsuno by the opposition to exert pressure on the search for responsibilities.

Kishida already announced last week his decision to abandon the leadership of his faction (political groups within the same party, five of which would be involved in the irregularities), to distance himself from suspicions, in a move that could make his continuity as leader difficult. .

The term of the current Japanese prime minister expires in October 2025, but in 2024 he will have to face other internal primaries. EFE

mra/lds

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