November 14 & 15, 2023

Senior Vice Finance Minister Kanda Kenji (Liberal Democratic Party) on November 13 resigned his post following a magazine report that due to his past tax arrears, the land and building of his company had been seized four times. Among junior ministers and parliamentary secretaries who were appointed by Prime Minister Kishida two months earlier in his Cabinet reshuffle, three have quit over scandals, including State Minister of Justice Kakizawa Mito and Parliamentary Vice Minister for Education Yamada Taro.

Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Koike Akira on November 14 at a House of Councilors Financial Affairs Committee meeting grilled the government about Kanda’s resignation. Koike said, “To draw a curtain on Kanda’s scandal only with his resignation is unacceptable. His qualification as a Dietmember is also called into question.” Koike demanded that Prime Minister Kishida order Kanda to fulfill his accountability to society and disclose the whole picture.

Koike cited that at a committee meeting five days earlier, Finance Minister Suzuki Shun’ichi in response to questions from Koike said that it is necessary to prevent the unpaid tax scandal from arousing public mistrust in the tax administration system. The JCP lawmaker said that if the government shows unwillingness to investigate Kanda’s failure to fulfil his tax obligations, this will invite public distrust as the minister said. He demanded that the Diet summon Kanda in order to uncover the truth behind the scandal.

Past related article:
> State Minister of Justice resigns for his involvement in election campaign misconduct [November 1, 2023]