Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sacked internal affairs minister Minoru Terada on Sunday, as pressure built on the premier to fire him over a funds-related scandal amid falling support ratings for his Cabinet.
Terada’s departure is a fresh blow to Kishida as he became the third Cabinet minister to go in under one month. Two other ministers left their posts as the result of a gaffe or close ties to the controversial Unification Church.
Terada told reporters after meeting with Kishida at the prime minister’s official residence that he did not want to be an obstacle to the government’s legislative efforts during the ongoing parliamentary session.
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Kishida sacks scandal-hit internal affairs minister
Nikkei – Nov 21
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sacked internal affairs minister Minoru Terada on Sunday, as pressure built on the premier to fire him over a funds-related scandal amid falling support ratings for his Cabinet.

North Korean missile flew about 1,000 km
NHK – Nov 18
Japan’s top government spokesperson says what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from near the west coast of the Korean Peninsula at around 10:14 a.m. on Friday.

Myanmar releases ex-UK envoy, Aussie economist, Japan filmmaker
Nikkei – Nov 17
Myanmar’s military regime has released former U.K. Ambassador Vicky Bowman, an Australian economist and Aung San Suu Kyi aide Sean Turnell, and Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota from prison as it attempts to mitigate a growing backlash against the generals.

Ex-Tokyo Olympic exec indicted 4th time in bribery case
Kyodo – Nov 10
Prosecutors on Wednesday brought a fourth indictment against a former Tokyo Olympic executive on charges of receiving bribes totaling around 54 million yen ($370,000) from a major advertisement company and a firm that sold stuffed dolls of the games’ mascots.

Japan gov’t urged to end free COVID-19 vaccinations
Xinhua – Nov 08
An advisory panel for the finance minister on Monday proposed that the Japanese government end free-of-charge coronavirus vaccinations, highlighting concerns over a further increase of its financial strain.

N.Korea launches several missiles, including possible ICBM
NHK – Nov 03
North Korea launched several ballistic missiles on Thursday morning. Officials from Japan’s Defense Ministry say one may have been an intercontinental ballistic missile. They are trying to determine the latest details.
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