Japan PM to sack deputy finance minister over tax scandal
Fumio Kishida, Japan's prime minister, speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Nov 2, 2023.
PHOTO: Kiyoshi Ota via Reuters file
PUBLISHED ONNovember 13, 2023 5:02 AM
TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to sack a deputy finance minister, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday (Nov 13), after the official last week admitted to media reports that he had been delinquent on tax payments in the past.
State Minister of Finance Kenji Kanda, who is in charge of government bonds and monetary policy, would be the third to leave a ministerial post in just two months since Kishida reshuffled his cabinet to improve tumbling public approval ratings.
The report of Kanda's firing comes as the latest poll by broadcaster FNN showed the approval rating for Kishida's cabinet reaching a record low of 27.8 per cent, sliding 7.8 points from last month.
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