[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Amid the issue of collusion with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church and Family Federation) shaking Japanese politics, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on the 25th that he will appoint former Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Shigeaki Goto as the next Minister for Economic Revitalization. He appointed a figure confirmed to have no connection with the former Unification Church to the position of Minister for Economic Revitalization, which was vacated due to the resignation of the previous minister who was found to have ties with the former Unification Church.
According to NHK and other broadcasters, Prime Minister Kishida announced on the same day that he would appoint former Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Goto as the successor to former Minister for Economic Revitalization Daishiro Yamagawa. Former Minister Goto officially took office in the afternoon and is expected to be responsible for comprehensive economic measures and COVID-19 countermeasures under the Kishida Cabinet. The new Minister for Economic Revitalization, former Minister Goto, is a seven-term member of the House of Representatives and does not belong to any faction within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Prime Minister Kishida explained that the background for appointing former Minister Goto as his successor was to sever ties with the former Unification Church. The LDP conducted an investigation in September to identify members of the Diet with connections to the former Unification Church, and among the 125 LDP Diet members announced at that time, Goto’s name was not mentioned. Kishida added that he also considered other factors such as Goto’s rich political experience and strong passion for economic and social transformation.
After meeting with Prime Minister Kishida in the morning at the Cabinet Office, former Minister Goto told reporters, "Although this is a sudden replacement, there are important tasks piled up such as economic measures, countermeasures against soaring prices, follow-up responses to supplementary budgets, COVID-19 responses, and addressing the 'new capitalism' including startups. I will devote myself fully and quickly to adapting to these responsibilities."
The announcement of the next Minister for Economic Revitalization came just one day after the resignation of former Minister Yamagawa. Yamagawa first joined the cabinet when the Kishida administration was launched in October last year and had been responsible for key policies such as the "new capitalism" and COVID-19 measures, maintaining his position even in the cabinet reshuffle in August.
However, problems arose after it was revealed that he had attended several meetings hosted by the former Unification Church and was photographed with Han Hak-ja, the president of the Family Federation. Although he avoided answering by saying "I do not remember," opposition parties demanded his dismissal, and as the Kishida Cabinet’s approval ratings dropped to the 20-30% range, voices within the LDP also argued that "resigning quickly would minimize damage," leading to his eventual resignation.
Foreign media in Japan have evaluated this as a de facto dismissal. The ruling LDP is cautious about whether this incident will lead to a wave of resignations among other ministers. It is also reported that dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Kishida’s leadership is growing in some quarters.
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