Former finance minister elected as Lower House speaker

The autumn session of parliament began Friday with a new Lower House speaker following the resignation of Hiroyuki Hosoda — who cited health concerns but was also facing questions and criticism over sexual harassment allegations and his ties to the former Unification Church.

The 79-year-old Fukushiro Nukaga, a 13-term Diet member and former finance minister, was chosen as speaker in a vote at the beginning of the session. Between 2009 and 2018, he headed the Liberal Democratic Party’s third-largest faction, which is now led by Toshimitsu Motegi, the party’s secretary-general.

“It's with great regret that former Speaker Hosoda has decided to resign. I will do my utmost to manage the Lower House fairly and amicably,” Nukaga said in his address to the assembly after being elected Friday afternoon.

Hosoda, also 79, is an 11-term member of parliament from Shimane Prefecture and the former leader of the party’s largest faction, which was later taken over by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

He has faced criticism from opposition parties for telling reporters he had no special relationship with the Unification Church, and that even though he'd attended a number of their events there was no problem with doing so. He also dismissed allegations that he sexually harassed reporters and LDP members as rumors. The prime minister could face tough grilling by the opposition over the church issue and Hosoda’s responses, as well as Hosoda's decision to continue as a lawmaker.

Hosoda has indeed faced issues with his health, including being hospitalized due to heatstroke in July this year. He returned to his duties but was hospitalized again later in the summer.

Given the former speaker's health issues, there had been speculation in the political world that he would resign at some point, said Masato Kamikubo, a political scientist at Ritsumeikan University.

“However, its timing may have been hastened a bit by the scandals. Continuing on as speaker in the upcoming session would have made it difficult to run the Lower House and (would have) further hurt the Kishida Cabinet, which is already suffering from low approval ratings,” Kamikubo said.

Hosoda announced his resignation as speaker on Oct. 13, the same day the Kishida government asked the Tokyo District Court to issue an order to revoke the Unification Church's status as a religious corporation. If the court accepts that request, the church will lose its tax exemption status, though it could still continue religious activities. The church has said it will contest the government's effort “on all fronts,” setting the stage for a protracted legal battle.

Unlike Hosoda, Nukaga has no apparent connections to the church. His name was not on a list of LDP lawmakers with various connections to the organization that the party released last September, although neither was Hosoda’s. The list came in response to public outcry following Abe’s assassination in July, when it was revealed that the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, allegedly targeted Abe over his ties to the church and that many other politicians, mostly from the LDP, had longstanding connections to it as well.

Nukaga’s appointment makes him head of the powerful Lower House, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he'll be personally powerful.

Kamikubo noted that the speaker role is an honorary position for lawmakers who once held important posts but have retired from the front lines of politics, and in reality aren't powerful figures. Nukaga has already ceded his factional leadership position and is not a contender to become the next prime minister.

This makes him different from politicians like former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who officially retired from politics in 2012 but continued to exercise influence behind the scenes, especially in the faction he, and then later Hosoda, once headed. There is also a stark contrast with LDP Vice President Taro Aso, who heads a 55-member faction.

“Nukaga isn’t like Mori or Aso, who have the political clout to exert influence over the next prime minister or other political appoints,” Kamikubo said.