TOKYO (AP) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida postponed his departure Friday to the three upcoming summits in Southeast Asia to fire his justice minister and find a replacement over a comment he made about the death penalty that was criticized as inappropriate .
Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi told reporters he submitted his resignation to Kishida on Friday, two days after he said at a party rally that his low-profile job only makes headlines over lunch if he uses his “hanko” stamp in the morning. to approve executions.
The comment soon sparked criticism from the opposition and even within Kishida’s ruling party and alleged his government, already embroiled in controversy over its decades-long ties to the Unification Church, a South Korean-based religious sect that is being held in Japan. accused of problematic recruitment and brainwashing of supporters to make huge donations.
“I carelessly used the term execution as an example” and made the people and officials of the ministry “feeling uncomfortable” while I caused problems in the parliamentary scheme and the cabinet, Hanashi said. “I decided to resign (as Minister of Justice) as a form of apology to the people and my determination to restart my political career.”
Hanashi said he had discussed his possible resignation with Kishida in the past two days, but was advised to do his utmost to apologize and explain.
Hanashi had apologized after he was reprimanded for giving the impression that he takes executions lightly, while Japan is already facing international criticism for upholding the death penalty.
“I apologize and withdraw my comment that was confronted with media reports that the impression was given that I took my responsibility lightly,” he said on Thursday.
But media reports later revealed that he had made similar comments at other meetings in the past three months.
Kishida later told reporters that he accepted Hanashi’s resignation because his “careless remark” damaged public confidence in justice policy and the progress of parliamentary discussion on important issues, including support measures for those with financial and family problems because of the church. could slow down.
Kishida said he offered former Agriculture Minister Ken Saito as a replacement.
Kishida urgently needed to resolve the issue with his cabinet before setting out on a nine-day journey. He said he planned to leave Tokyo early Saturday to attend all scheduled meetings at the ASEAN summit, as well as the Group of 20 meeting in Indonesia and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bangkok.
Hanashi, a member of Kishida’s own faction within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has been in office for just three months and will be the second minister to be fired since the prime minister shook his cabinet in August in a failed attempt to curb his government’s declining popularity. to turn. .
Last month, Daishiro Yamagiwa resigned as economy minister after being criticized for failing to explain his ties to the Unification Church.
The ruling party’s church ties were exposed after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July. The ruling party’s church ties go back to Abe’s grandfather and former leader Nobusuke Kishi, who supported the church’s anti-communist stance and helped it take root in Japan.
