Another State Minister Forced Out

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida fired State Minister of Finance Kenji Kanda on Monday. Being in the second position at the top of a ministry that collects tax money, Kanda has been doubted as repeatedly delayed tax payments in his own private business. Kishida apologized to the public as business as usual. The consecutive resignation of two State Ministers and a Parliamentary Vice-Minister is reported as a return of “resignation domino” of last year, seriously undermining Kishida administration. 

Weekly Bunshun magazine on November 8th reported that an office building in Nagoya city owned by Kanda was seized its land and property by the tax authority in Nagoya for four times since 2013. It was because Kanda failed in paying tax properly. In the discussion at a committee in House of Councillors, Kanda explained that he was too busy in his job as a lawmaker to oversee his business enough. And he admitted the fact of seizures and apologized it.

 

Kishida was not willing to fire Kanda right after the scandal was reported. After the cabinet reshuffle in September, one parliamentary vice-minister and one state minister has stepped down with scandals. Kishida apologized the resignation too soon after the appointment. It is likely that he thought further resignation could not be tolerated to maintain his administration.

 

Kishida seems to have been lacking precise understanding on the case of Kanda. Kanda consecutively failed in paying tax and seized his land and property for four times. Concerning his career as a tax accountant, it is hardly understandable that he did not realize the importance of paying tax. As a lawmaker, he must have known his responsibility to abide by the law. As the State Minister of Finance, he should have known himself as unfit for the position.

 

Why did Kishida appointed this person to the post? Kishida may not have the answer. It has been usual that the prime minister and the staffs work out for checking the background of the candidates of ministers. But it is doubtful that Kishida had finished that work before the cabinet reshuffling in September. Kishida is supposed to have accepted the request from Abe faction, to which Kanda affiliated, as it was, taking the cabinet reshuffling as a business as usual once every year.

 

The response to the resignation of Kanda was just as same as former examples. “I take my responsibility to have appointed him seriously, and the government as a whole will work intensively hard to regain the public credibility. In the politics, one has to be responsible for the results, and I apologize to the people,” Kishida told the reporters. He insisted in continuing his job.

 

The supplemental budget, coordinated by Ministry of Finance, will be submitted to the Diet later this month. If Kanda remains, the budget will be regarded as made under the leadership of a state minister who had not properly paid tax. The opposite parties will argue that they cannot discuss such a budget. The lawmakers in charge of Diet affairs will hope Kishida to remove the problem, and they actually did so. Kishida could not push that pressure back.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amendment of Local Autonomy Law

The House of Representatives started discussion on revision of the Local Autonomy Law, which would vest the national government a power to instruct local government in an emergency. It may change the relationship between the national and local government, which has been recognized as equal. The opposition parties oppose the amendment, arguing that it would give the national government an excessive power.   With the Meiji Restoration, the national government abolished the feudal system, introducing modern governance. However, its autonomy was not sufficient. The governor of each prefecture was appointed by the national government. The local governments subordinated to the national government. It was as late as 2000 when  the Comprehensive Decentralization Law  was enacted and the relationship between the national and local government was defined as equal.   The national government found inconvenience in the relationship between the national and local government, when ...
Read more

Request for Final Nuclear Disposal Site

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry requested Genkai Town, Saga, to accept “literature survey” for building a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste. Genkai is going to answer within this month. If it accepts, it will be the third place to accept that survey, following two places in Hokkaido. Main reason to accept the survey is supposed to be subsidy from the national government.   Japan has no final disposal site. Among all 54 reactors in 17 nuclear power generation plant, 12 reactors of 6 plants are operating. The rest of them are not in operation, some of which are determined to be decommissioned. Used nuclear fuels are stocked in each plant, 　 or have sent to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori. There are two plans to stock nuclear wastes in the intermediate facility for disposal, one is already built and another is still in negotiation.   Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Act in 2000 determines to bury nuclear waste in the underground. Literature survey, ...
Read more

Not A Royal Wedding

The bride called her husband an indispensable existence and their marriage was necessary choice to protect their mind. The groom insisted on his life as only once and his right to be with his loved one. Her father wanted his daughter’s marriage to be celebrated by the people. The people were not sure whether the family was happy as a whole. Is this the traditional Japanese social system that makes no one happy? Mako Komuro, as known as Princess Mako during her life in one of the royal family Akishino, held on Tuesday a press conference with her husband Kei Komuro, right after submitting marriage report to local government. It was something different from ordinary Q&A session, because Mako was afraid of her mental uneasiness brought by some questions not based on truth. So, the event was actually one-sided speech to the reporters. Mako emphasized that the Kei’s decision of studying abroad five years ago had not been his original idea, but a result of her request to establish an over...
Read more