Japan Press Weekly

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2016 August 3 - 9 [POLITICS]

All new Abe Cabinet ministers from LDP are members of ‘Yasukuni’ faction

All ministers in the reshuffled Abe Cabinet, except one who came from the Komei Party, are pro-Yasukuni politicians, Akahata reported on August 5.

Among the 20 Cabinet ministers, 19 from the Liberal Democratic Party, including Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, are members of a parliamentarians’ group in support of a rightist organization called the Shinto Association of Spiritual Leadership. The association supports the contentious Yasukuni Shrine historical view which justifies and glorifies Japan’s past war of aggression.

Many of the 19 ministers also belong to one of two other rightist parliamentarians’ groups: one is promoting lawmakers’ visit to the Yasukuni Shrine and the other is affiliated with the Japan Conference. The Japan Conference is a major rightist organization seeking to realize constitutional revision. PM Abe and nine other Cabinet members, including Finance Minister Aso Taro and Defense Minister Inada Tomomi, hold memberships in all the three groups mentioned above.


Past related articles:
> Reshuffled Abe Cabinet is again full of pro-Yasukuni members [October 12, 2015]
> 3rd Abe Cabinet inaugurated [December 25, 2014]
> Abe forms his Cabinet with members of pro-Yasukuni parliamentarians’ group [September 6, 2014]
> Rightist ministers make up 80% of Abe Cabinet [January 5, 2012]