TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has decided to replace farm minister Kazuo Yana, who had come under fire for his remarks about slashing road funding for municipalities that did not support him, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Wednesday.
His resignation would mark the first for the administration of Takaichi, whose popularity has remained at relatively high levels since she took her post a year ago.
Takaichi appointed Yana in a cabinet reshuffle last month to lead the ministry overseeing agriculture, forestry and fisheries, but had openly chided him in parliament for the remarks over the road funding, which local media first reported earlier this month.
The resignation comes during an extraordinary parliamentary session in which Takaichi faces a high-stakes challenge to win approval for key policy goals including a temporary sales tax cut on food and beverages.
Opposition parties in parliament's upper house, where the ruling coalition lacks a majority, were preparing a no-confidence motion against Yana, while some threatened to block debate on the sales tax legislation until he stepped down, according to local media reports.
Yana confirmed the authenticity of an audio clip, obtained by several local media, in which he said one reason for the budget cuts in two municipalities in his constituency was their support of a rival candidate in a general election held in February. He has since denied having the power to sway such budget decisions.
His comment quickly drew wide criticism as an abuse of power. An opinion poll by public broadcaster NHK this week showed 78% of respondents saying Yana's explanation was unacceptable.
Support for Takaichi's cabinet fell 2 percentage points from last month's poll but remained elevated at 51%, according to the same survey.
Grilled in parliament, Yana has also admitted that his campaign provided free transportation for supporters to attend his election rally, a move that some lawmakers criticised as a potential violation of election law.