TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th November, 2022) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has made the decision to dismiss Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi over his statement about duties related to signing death sentences, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Friday, citing sources in the government.
Hanashi, who assumed office as justice minister in August, told a political gathering on Wednesday that the post that he currently occupies is "obscure" and only by signing off on decisions to hang inmates is it possible to make the headlines. At the same time, Hanashi is yet to authorize any executions as justice minister.
The minister retracted his controversial remarks at a parliamentary committee meeting on Thursday. However, many representatives of opposition parties have already expressed their intention to push for the justice minister's resignation.
Earlier in the week, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno had a meeting with Hanashi and warned him against careless remarks, urging him to "choose words responsibly."
Hanashi will be the second senior figure in the Japanese government resigning over the past several weeks, with Daishiro Yamagiwa stepping down as the Minister for Economic Revitalization in late October over his ties with the Unification Church, which has been in the spotlight following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Resignation of yet another minister in Kishida's cabinet could further hurt its support among the population, with its approval rating already declining to 30-35% in recent months.
