Japan PM Takaichi says scandal-hit farm minister to stay on despite criticism

TOKYO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Thursday she has no intention of dismissing farm minister Kazuo Yana, despite mounting criticism over his past controversial remarks about road budget cuts.

"I see his remarks as inappropriate and reprimanded him, but it is important that he explains the matter appropriately and I expect him to renew his commitment to fulfill his duties," Takaichi told a parliamentary session.

Yana has been under fire since media reports last week that he told supporters in his constituency in May that fiscal 2026 road budgets had been sharply cut for Nasukarasuyama City and Nakagawa Town, two municipalities in his constituency whose mayors did not support him in the House of Representatives election in February.

In the session, Yana said he had made remarks that were "not based on the facts," adding, "I will discipline myself and devote my utmost efforts to carrying out my duties."

Meanwhile, road-related budgets for fiscal 2026 for Nasukarasuyama and Nakagawa were cut by as much as around 54 percent from the previous fiscal year, according to the land ministry.

The land ministry denied that Yana had influenced or pressured officials over the budget cuts. However, the ministry revealed that its officials had received inquiries from Yana in February about the government's fiscal 2026 budget.

At Thursday's session, Masayo Tanabu, secretary general of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said, "Budget allocations should be determined on the basis of objective criteria such as necessity, effectiveness and urgency. Regardless of whether the alleged cuts were true or not, attempting to use budget as a tool for political retaliation or reward is totally unacceptable."

Yana retracted the reported remarks and apologized on Monday, while saying he had not pressured the land ministry to cut the budgets and would not resign.

Yana lost his single-seat constituency in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, in the February election but retained his House of Representatives seat through the proportional representation system. He entered the cabinet for the first time in a reshuffle in mid-September.