Tokyo’s newest Cabinet already has a vacancy. Kazuo Yana, handed the agriculture brief only weeks ago under Sanae Takaichi, walked away on Wednesday once local scandals left him no room to stay.
Trouble had mounted steadily. Coverage claimed he bragged about starving two Tochigi towns of highway cash after their mayors snubbed him in the February ballot. A weekly magazine then alleged his camp once moved supporters free of charge by shuttle during earlier campaigns — behaviour that can breach election rules. Facing lawmakers on Wednesday, he softened talk that the bus setup had been cleared as lawful, hinting staff may merely have asked how to record the costs.
Outside the Kantei he apologised to voters back home and said he could no longer muddy parliamentary work. Takaichi took the resignation so the extraordinary session could refocus on a temporary food-tax cut and Middle East fallout. She vowed to name a replacement on Thursday and conceded she feels the weight of having chosen someone who then quit.
His spell lasted a bruising 28 days — unmatched for brevity among LDP-era ministers since that party reclaimed office in 2012. Opposition figure Yuichiro Tamaki still wants answers about whether politicians can steer public cash as they please.
For Takaichi the timing stings. Yana was meant to be an early ally after her reshuffle. Now she must show the government can still pass bills — and that the next name she unveils will last.
