Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his Cabinet on Wednesday in a move interpreted as he battled growing public anger about his party's controversial ties to the Unification Church following former leader Shinzo Abe's assassination.
The issue has deepened into a major liability for Kishida, who told a news conference he had no ties to the church and that the organisation - which critics call a cult - had not influenced policy of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The cabinet shake-up came earlier than analysts had expected, underscoring how lawmakers' ties to the church have become a liability for the premier less than a year after he came to power. The shake-up has become the most visible fall-out from the killing of former premier Shinzo Abe last month.
Kishida earlier said he has instructed his ministers and other senior officials to clarify their connection to the Unification Church "so that we can achieve political and administrative work that can be trusted by the people."
Abe was fatally shot while giving a campaign speech July 8, two days before a parliamentary election. Police and media reports say the man arrested had targeted Abe over suspected ties to the Unification Church, which the man hated because his mother’s massive financial donations to the church ruined his family.
Recent media surveys showed approval ratings for Kishida’s Cabinet have fallen to their lowest levels since he took office in October. A survey released Monday by the NHK public television showed support plunged to 46% from 59%.
Most of the respondents said they think politicians have not sufficiently explained their ties to the Unification Church. Kishida’s plan to hold a state funeral for Abe has also split public opinion because of Abe's archconservative stances on national security and wartime history.
Kishida's Cabinet renewal, which had been expected in September before the autumn parliamentary session, was apparently expedited as public support weakened amid questions over the church ties.
Kishida earlier said the main purpose of the planned Cabinet reshuffle is to "break through one of biggest postwar crises" such as the coronavirus pandemic, inflation and intensifying tension around Taiwan and Russia's war on Ukraine.
The July election victory had been expected to ensure long-term stable leadership under Kishida without another scheduled election until 2025, but Abe's absence and the impact of his shocking death increased uncertainty.
"We need to respect the freedom of religion but it's only natural that these groups need to obey laws and be dealt with if they veer from them," Kishida said.
"I have no connection with the church as far as I know," he said.
Some key cabinet members, such as the foreign and finance ministers, retained their posts, but among the high-profile ministers removed was Abe's younger brother, Nobuo Kishi, who had been defence minister.
Kishida said he chose experienced ministers to deal with numerous crises, but only those who agreed to "review" their ties with the group in order to regain public trust.
He said that politicians do meet with many people in the course of their jobs, but that when it comes to problematic groups they need to break off connections.