Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suffered a double setback yesterday with the resignations of two female Cabinet ministers over claims they misused political funds, dealing a blow to his proclaimed gender reform drive.
Japanese Minister of Industry Yuko Obuchi and Japanese Minister of Justice Midori Matsushima quit after days of allegations that they had misspent money in what opponents insisted was an attempt to buy votes.
Their loss reduces to three the number of women in the Cabinet, after Abe’s widely praised move last month to promote a record-tying five to his administration.
“I’m the person who appointed the two. As prime minister, I take responsibility for this and deeply apologise for this situation,” Abe told reporters.
Japanese Legislator Yoichi Miyazawa, a nephew of former Japanese prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa, will replace Obuchi as industry minister, Abe said.
Yoko Kamikawa, a 61-year-old female politician and former state minister in charge of Japan’s declining birthrate, was named the new justice minister.
The double resignations are the first significant problem for Abe since he swept to power in December 2012, ending years of fragile governments that swapped prime ministers on an annual basis.
While commentators generally agreed that this would not be the end of the hard-charging prime minister, who has moved to reinvigorate Japan’s lackluster economy, they cautioned that he was now vulnerable.
“This is Abe’s first major stumble,” said Tomoaki Iwai, professor of politics at Nihon University in Tokyo. “His approval rate is likely to fall and Abe will be under pressure. If he repeats similar mistakes, it’s going to be a fatal blow to his administration.”
Obuchi, who carried on the dynasty of her father, a former prime minister, offered a fresh, youthful face on the front benches — a place generally dominated by older men.
As a mother of two, her family-friendly image was expected to help convince a skeptical public on the safety of restarting Japan’s stalled nuclear power plants.
However, her elevation had also reportedly irked some longer-serving male politicians who felt they were passed over in favor of a younger woman with little Cabinet experience.
Obuchi’s downfall started last week, when reports emerged that she had spent political funds on makeup and accessories as gifts for supporters. They were followed by claims she subsidized theater trips for voters from her rural constituency.
The claims, which were priced at tens of millions of yen over several years, were taken as evidence of attempted vote buying.
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