Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on Thursday expected to remove influential cabinet members as he seeks to save his premiership from Japan’s biggest political funding scandal in more than three decades.
The expected purge by the increasingly unpopular prime minister is aimed at shielding him from the effects of a widening slush funds investigation. Four ministers targeted by Kishida submitted their resignations on Thursday.
Analysts said the gambit, which would dramatically alter power balances within the electorally dominant Liberal Democratic party, could succeed if Kishida is able to revamp his image by embarking on bold political reform. But if he fails to win over the public, he could quickly turn into a lame-duck premier and risk having to step down before his term as LDP leader expires in September.