Justice Minister Stays In Office, Creating New Headwind For Kishida Cabinet

Japanese media outlets report that there are voices within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the government calling on Justice Minister Hanashi to resign over his inappropriate comments on death penalty, even as Prime Minister Kishida said he would not sack the minister.

• Hanashi was quoted as saying that "Justice Minister is a humble post that only makes the headlines in daytime news programmes when he stamps a seal on documents of execution," which "won't help raise much money or secure many votes."
• Hanashi has since apologised and retracted his remarks, but his position will keep him in the spotlight. He belongs to the Kishida faction within the LDP and is in charge of measures to provide relief to people who were financially exploited by the Unification Church.
• The delay in sacking ex-Minister Yamagiwa over the lack of transparency surrounding his ties to the Church contributed to the decline in the Cabinet's approval ratings. As a result, sources within the government and the LDP told Yomiuri that "we should have him [Hanashi] resign early this time to minimise the impact."
• It is expected that the opposition will step up attacks on the government, with Hanashi set to attend a meeting of the House of Representatives' Judicial Affairs Committee this morning. The incident may further exacerbate the slide in public support for the Cabinet and tensions within the LDP.