As parliament begins its autumn session, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi finds herself forced to deal with a sudden political scandal involving the agriculture minister, one that could further complicate the government’s efforts to pass its legislative agenda and raise questions about her judgment and leadership.
Agriculture minister Kazuo Yana, who was appointed to the post last month, is now the center of a controversy following reports he drastically cut the road budgets of municipalities in Tochigi Prefecture whose mayors did not support him in February’s Lower House election.
On Tuesday, the transport ministry said the city of Nasukarasuyama and the town of Nakagawa had their budgets cut by 26.2% and 54.1%, respectively, compared to the previous year. The ministry explained that a budget decrease of less than 50% was not unusual.
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