Kishida says he regrets a ruling party funds scandal and will work on partial changes to his Cabinet

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced plans to replace some of his Cabinet ministers to address public criticism and distrust over his governing party’s widening slush funds scandal. The scandal mostly involves the Liberal Democratic Party’s largest and most powerful faction formerly led by assassinated ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Its key members, including those in top Cabinet and party posts, are suspected of systematically failing to report several million dollars in funds in possible violation of campaign and election laws. The money is alleged to have gone into unmonitored slush funds. Kishida said Wednesday he regretted that the party fundraising scandal has deepened political distrust and that he is determined to tackle it with “a sense of crisis.”