Blow for Abe’s pro-women agenda as ministers resign

Midori Matsushima leaves Mr Abes official residence yesterday after tendering her resignation. Picture: Reuters

The two ministers were among five women Mr Abe had named to his Cabinet in a reshuffle early last month. Their resignations may help to control the damage to his relatively high popularity ratings, but are a blow to efforts to promote women in politics and business.

Yuko Obuchi, daughter of a former prime minister and a rising star in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, resigned as trade minister, saying she needed to focus on an investigation into election funds. She did not acknowledge any wrongdoing.

Justice minister Midori Matsushima also resigned after the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) filed a criminal complaint against her over distribution of hand-held fans or “uchiwa”. Ms Matsushima also faces complaints over using parliament-provided housing while keeping security guards at her private home in Tokyo.

After accepting Ms Matsushima’s resignation, a sombre Mr Abe said he was also responsible because he had appointed the two women.

He said: “I deeply apologise to the public.”

Within hours, Mr Abe named replacements, choosing Yoichi Miyazawa, 64, a former finance ministry official, as trade minister. Mr Miyazawa, from Hiroshima, served as a secretary years ago to his uncle, former prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa.

He also chose Yoko Kamikawa, 61, a female politician who has worked on demographic issues, as justice minister.

Mr Abe’s first term in office, in 2006-7, was marred by gaffes and resignations by his ministers and he stepped down, citing ill health. His current term has been smoother, particularly in the first year as the stock market soared along with his popularity ratings.

Pressure for faster action on economic reforms has risen, however, as the recovery faltered following a 3 per cent increase in the sales tax in April.

Political funding scandals are a chronic problem in Japan.

“These rules are in place precisely because vote-buying using gifts used to be very common in Japan and still is according to some accounts in the rural areas,” said Koichi Nakano, a politics professor at Tokyo’s Sophia University.

The types of gifts and sums of money in the latest allegations are relatively trivial compared with previous governments. In one case, a stash of gold bullion was found in an LDP politician’s offices. But the rules are well-known and possible violations by a minister of justice did not sit well, Mr Nakano said.

Two other female Cabinet members have been criticised for suspected ties with racist groups, marring his efforts to encourage Japan to accept more women in leadership positions.

Mr Abe’s agenda includes pushing companies to promote more women and expanding day care, and other measures to help Japan’s highly-educated but underemployed female workers.

Ms Obuchi, who as trade minister was overseeing the clean-up and decommissioning of the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, said a thorough investigation into campaign funding would interfere with her duties. She said: “I apologise for not being able to make any contributions as a member of the Abe Cabinet in achieving key policy goals.”

The Cabinet resignations are the first for Mr Abe since he took office in late 2012.

The opposition DPJ is doing what it can to fight the LDP’s overwhelming parliamentary majority – hence the focus on presents of leeks, baby clothes, theatre tickets and fans by politicians to their supporters.

The “uchiwa” distributed by Matsushima reportedly cost a few pence each, but are a possible violation of the election law.

Ms Matsushima contends that they should be allowed as campaign “leaflets.”

Ms Obuchi apologised for funding irregularities, but added that she had found no evidence of alleged personal use of funds paid to a company run by a relative. But accounting discrepancies have raised a “major doubt,” she said.

She added: “This is my own fault and I will focus on investigating so that I can regain trust from my supporters.”