Democratic Party for the People (DPP) chief Yuichiro Tamaki has been suspended as leader of the party for three months, starting from Wednesday, following a report about his involvement in an extramarital affair.

Following a probe conducted over the course of the last month, an internal committee judged Tamaki’s conduct as having contravened the party’s ethics regulations and damaged its honor and trust, DPP Secretary-General Kazuya Shimba told reporters after a party meeting Wednesday.

As a result of the probe, Tamaki was suspended from the leadership post until March 3, 2025. Until then, the party’s Diet affairs chief, Motohisa Furukawa — a former national strategy minister — will serve as acting leader.

“Again I’d like to offer my apologies to the party’s supporters, and especially all those who put their faith in the party in the last election,” a somber Tamaki said Wednesday afternoon, adding that he is committed to sustaining the party as an ordinary member in the coming months.

“I think that nothing should stop the current momentum for policy realization, so I’d like to support my colleagues who are involved in the front line of negotiations,” he continued.

Asked if he intends to come back as leader after the suspension, he did not give a clear answer, and merely said he intends to respect the party’s decision — but hinted he won't step down as party leader anytime soon.

Tamaki admitted to the affair soon after the Flash tabloid reported on his secret encounters with Miyuki Koizumi, a tourism ambassador for the city of Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, in what was seen as an attempt to swiftly move on from the scandal. Tamaki has represented an electoral district that includes the city in the Lower House for 15 years.

The reports came at a particularly sensitive time for the DPP as it was engaged in policy negotiations with the handicapped Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition, which failed to retain its majority in October's general election. The opposition party, which quadrupled its seats to 28 in the election, had found itself in the position of kingmaker, putting it in the public spotlight and giving it leverage to impose some of its policy proposals on the minority government.

At the moment, discussions over fiscal policy ahead of the compilation of next year’s budget are still ongoing. Tamaki has voiced his dissatisfaction over the LDP’s reported decision to postpone the raising of the income tax threshold to 2026.

In the last few weeks, Tamaki appeared to take a lower profile. He refrained from questioning Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in parliament directly and instead gave an opportunity to Satoshi Asano, a younger lawmaker, to do so. It’s customary for party chiefs or senior leaders to pose questions to the prime minister in parliament.

Tamaki’s role in raising the party's profile and leading it to its recent electoral breakthrough has been widely recognized. But at the same time, the DPP's shortage of veteran lawmakers with experience in national politics has also come into focus and that has put a strain on the party, potentially impacting its ability to negotiate with the ruling coalition.

“I would like him to go back to the starting point, work to restore trust in the party and strive to strengthen the party’s standing as a simple lawmaker,” Shimba said of Tamaki on Wednesday, adding that the suspended leader would take the reins of the party again in three months.