Delay of Replacement Takes Toll

Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, appointed Arata Takebe to Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as the replacement of Kazuo Yana who stepped down with his irrelevant speech of intervention in cutting local road budget. The opposition parties continue to hold Takaichi accountable for having named Yana to her cabinet minister. It is inevitable that Takaichi’s political agenda will slow down. 

Elected from Hokkaido 12th district, known as the region of agriculture and fishery, Takebe is in his 6th term as a member of the House of Representatives. He was state minister of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in Kishida administration. His father, Tsutomu Takebe, was Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party in Jun-ichiro Koizumi administration, having experienced the minister of MAFF. Arata succeeded his father’s job.

 

Yana resigned as the minister of MAFF the day before. While Yana appeared to be voluntarily stepped down, it was effectively a dismissal by Takaichi who worried about negative impact of Yana’s scandal on her administration. Yana disappeared from reporters of media after he had submitted his resignation to Takaichi. Takebe did not have any opportunity of briefings on the issues from his predecessor MAFF was facing.

 

Takaichi first tried to support Yana on his scandal, considering that Yana’s reference of budget cut of roads of municipalities against him as not unfair. While she delayed decision of firing Yana, the opposition parties gained a momentum. They accused not only Yana of his false speech, but also Takaichi’s decision of appointing such an inappropriate person as promoting a pork barrel to a minister’s position.

 

It was May when Yana made that speech in a local meeting in Otawara city, Tochigi. As the president of LDP who can collect every information from local branch, Takaichi could have known that Yana had made that speech before she appointed him to agriculture minister in September. Yana was also reported as involved in illegal election campaign in which his office transported audience of his rally with shuttle bus for free and he paid reward for the staffs for making telephone calls to voters. Takaichi did not know those facts before September appointment.

 

Deciding everything by herself is Takaichi’s political style. While this style can eliminate noises motivated by various interests, it can alienate her from important information brought by her staffs. She appointed Yana based on a document in which Yana wrote that he hoped to be the agriculture minister. Takaichi simply accepted it without any knowledge about Yana’s wrongdoing. Her appointment of Takebe was made in the same way.

 

Even after the replacement of agriculture minister, opposition parties seek resignation of Yana not only as a minister but a lawmaker. As Takaichi deals with further inquiry about her appointment of Yana in the Diet, schedule for discussing consumption tax cut bill becomes tight. Takaichi also is pressured by the coalition partner, Japan Innovation Party, which strongly promotes Diet seat reduction. But saving time for that issue in current session of Diet is not easy. Takaichi’s delay in deciding minister’s replacement may take its toll.

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