Japan's scandal-hit agriculture minister quits in blow to PM Takaichi
SHOTARO TANI and YURIKA YONEDA
October 14, 2026 19:34 JST Updated on October 14, 2026 19:56 JST
Japan's agriculture minister resigned on Wednesday just a month after taking office, following mounting pressure over a series of political scandals. This marks the first major personnel test for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has faced repeated questions from opposition parties over her decision to appoint Kazuo Yana in a cabinet reshuffle last month.
It is a rare setback for Takaichi who, nearing the end of her first year in office, has enjoyed unusually high approval ratings, buoyed by her personal popularity and an administration that had until now remained largely free of scandal.
Yana came under fire following reports that he claimed to have cut road budgets for municipalities in Tochigi prefecture led by mayors who did not support him in February's election for the lower house of the Diet, Japan's parliament. Yana lost his Tochigi constituency in the election but returned to parliament through proportional representation.
He faced increasing scrutiny over these allegations, leading to his eventual resignation.