Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tapped two veteran lawmakers Thursday to replace key Liberal Democratic Party executives whose faction is caught up in a political slush fund scandal, in an attempt to clean house and restore public trust.
Former education minister Kisaburo Tokai will replace LDP policy chief Koichi Hagiuda, and former Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada will replace the party’s Diet affairs chair Tsuyoshi Takagi.
Neither Tokai nor Hamada belong to any party faction, in line with Kishida’s attempt to appoint lawmakers not involved in the scandal. The two are expected to be formally appointed Friday when the Cabinet approves the 2024 budget proposal, which needs coordination with the ruling parties beforehand.