State Minister Kakizawa to Resign

Jiji Press

13:37 JST, November 1, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — State Minister of Justice Mito Kakizawa tendered his resignation Tuesday after media reports that he recommended the use of paid online advertisements in a mayoral election in a Tokyo special ward.

His resignation will deal another blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration, which saw parliamentary vice minister for education and postdisaster reconstruction Taro Yamada resign over an extramarital affair Thursday.

Kakizawa reportedly recommended that Koto Ward Mayor Yayoi Kimura’s campaign team use paid online ads during the campaign period for the election in April, in which she won the ward’s leadership for the first time.

Kakizawa, a 52-year-old member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, decided to step down to take responsibility for his involvement in the scandal.