Japan's Farm Minister Steps Down Over Budget Cut Gaffe; Arata Takebe Tapped as Successor
Japan's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Kazuo Yana tendered his resignation on the 14th following severe backlash over controversial comments suggesting the reduction of road budgets for local governments that did not support him. In response, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi decided on the 15th to tap Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker Arata Takebe, a six-term member of the House of Representatives representing Hokkaido's 12th district, as Yana's successor. Takebe is expected to officially assume the post following an Imperial attestation ceremony held at the Imperial Palace that evening. Yana faced fierce criticism from both ruling and opposition parties after making remarks construed as boasting that he "cut" road-related budget allocations for municipalities that failed to back his campaign, raising allegations of undue political interference in local governance and illicit pork-barrel politics. Vocal outrage also poured in from his home cons...