Calls for Inada’s replacement rise within ruling coalition after gaffe – The Mainichi

June 30, 2017 (Mainichi Japan)

Calls urging Defense Minister Tomomi Inada to be replaced in a Cabinet reshuffle over her recent gaffe are intensifying even within the ruling coalition.

Despite demands from opposition parties, Prime Minister Abe will not immediately dismiss Inada, but is likely to carefully look into whether to replace her when he reshuffles his Cabinet.

Inada came under fire for suggesting in a June 27 campaign speech for a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, that the Self-Defense Forces back the candidate.

"I would like to ask for your support on behalf of the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces, as the defense minister, and on behalf of the Liberal Democratic Party," she said. She retracted her remark later in the day.

In a meeting of an LDP intraparty faction he leads, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida expressed concern that Inada's gaffe has adversely affected the party's chance of winning the metropolitan assembly election.

"Rather than debate on policy issues in Tokyo, individual legislators' words and deeds have worsened the party's image and adversely affected the election," he said.

The prime minister is considering reshuffling his Cabinet simultaneously with the change in party executives as their terms expire in September.

A senior official of the ruling coalition called for replacing Inada. "Inada should be replaced at the time of the next Cabinet reshuffle," the official said.

An LDP member who previously served as a Cabinet minister raised questions about the prime minister's decision to retain Inada for now. "She should've been forced to step down earlier," he said.

A close aide to Prime Minister Abe pointed to the possibility that the prime minister will have no choice but to replace Inada. "The prime minister doesn't think Inada needs to step down immediately, but you never know how he will respond in the future," the aide said.

Prime Minister Abe is expected to decide how to address the situation, including when to reshuffle his Cabinet, after the July 2 metropolitan assembly election.

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Calls for Inada's replacement rise within ruling coalition after gaffe - The Mainichi