Former agriculture minister Kazunori Yanai said he cut road budgets for municipalities whose leaders did not campaign for him in the general election, remarks that cost him his post and raised doubts about how fairly the government shares out money.
Yanai, a House of Representatives member from Tochigi Prefecture, was effectively dismissed as farm minister over the comments. The Mainichi Shimbun reported that local politicians in his home prefecture reacted with anger, saying such remarks undermine the purpose of their work.
The episode has raised two questions: whether the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism came under pressure, and whether the cuts were the result of interference.
It has also drawn attention to a wider problem. The criteria and grounds for national budget allocations are not made public, leaving room for money to be directed at political allies.
Calls for transparency
The Mainichi Shimbun argued in its report that the affair cannot be allowed to end in ambiguity, and that the standards behind budget decisions must be made transparent.
Local politicians in Tochigi Prefecture told the newspaper they were angry at remarks that shake the foundations of their political work.
“The core of a politician's job is to respond to voters' requests. Remarks that threaten to cut budgets are absolutely unacceptable.”a local Tochigi politician, speaking to the Mainichi Shimbun
Before the issue surfaced, people around the Liberal Democratic Party often described Yanai's reputation in terms that were hard to believe, the newspaper reported. Even past collaborators were said to be cast aside once he considered them opponents.
A local government leader whose relationship with Yanai soured over a local election was quoted describing the rift. The Mainichi Shimbun's report was truncated at that point, and the leader's remarks were not published in the available text.
Earlier scrutiny
Yanai submitted his resignation on Oct. 14, saying the decision was his own. The Mainichi Shimbun reported at the time that the departure was effectively a dismissal and a blow to the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The newspaper also reported that a transport ministry explanation for a 64% cut in a subsidy was difficult to understand, and asked whether the ministry had been showing consideration for Yanai.
Other reports traced signs of the remarks back two years, to a split that left Yanai feeling impatient. Questions about money in politics also surfaced around him, including an envelope of cash handed over as he was leaving.
Farm policy stalled during the roughly two weeks of controversy, and farmers voiced frustration as work was held up.