Kishida reshuffles Cabinet amid party money scandal

TOKYO, Dec 15 (NHK) - Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is dealing with the fallout from a political money scandal. It involves a party faction once led by one of Kishida's predecessors, the late Abe Shinzo. Kishida is trying to find a way ahead, and as part of that, he has replaced four members of his cabinet.

The new ministers went to the Imperial Palace Thursday evening to be endorsed ceremonially by Emperor Naruhito. They have officially taken office.

Hayashi Yoshimasa is now chief cabinet secretary. That means he is also the government's top spokesperson.

Saito Ken is the minister for economy, trade and industry.

Matsumoto Takeaki is the minister for internal affairs and communications.

Sakamoto Tetsushi is the minister for agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

The reshuffle comes during an investigation by prosecutors. Their focus is the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The investigators suspect the offices of party members in a faction named after Abe did not report kickbacks from sales of fundraiser tickets.

Prime Minister Kishida has been promising to try to regain public trust.

He said, "We're still working to grasp the situation, so the first priority is to identify the problems and causes. At the same time, I shall have detailed discussions with Diet members in the party and make decisions on ways to deal with the issue and prevent it from happening again."

The new chief cabinet secretary says he will prioritize dialogue with the public.

Hayashi Yoshimasa said, "The government is under harsh scrutiny. In my new position, I shall do what I can to regain trust."

Hayashi also takes over as the minister who deals with North Korean abductions. Japan says 17 citizens were seized by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. Five abductees arrived back in Japan in 2002. The status of the other 12 is not clear.

Yokota Sakie is the mother of a girl abducted by North Korea in 1977. She says she is disappointed about the reshuffle because she trusted the previous minister.

She also says she wants the new minister to work with integrity because the abductions are a serious issue for Japan.

Some senior officials in the Liberal Democratic Party are also on the way out. Policy chief Hagiuda Koichi, diet affairs chief Takagi Tsuyoshi and secretary-general for the Upper House Seko Hiroshige have submitted their resignations. They all belong to the Abe faction.

Prime Minister Kishida says he will appoint replacements as early as the end of next week.

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