No-Confidence Motion Against Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno Voted Down in Japan’s House of Representatives

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:18 JST, December 12, 2023

A no-confidence motion against Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno was voted down at a plenary session of the House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon.

The Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and other parties voted down the motion in a majority vote.

The no-confidence motion against Matsuno was submitted on Monday by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan saying that he had not fulfilled his accountability over suspicions that the LDP’s faction once led by late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had diverted some of the revenue from political fundraising parties to some faction members, and the money was hidden funds.

In addition to the CDPJ, Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), the Japanese Communist Party and the Democratic Party For the People voted for the no-confidence motion.

The DPFP has been discussing with the LDP and Komeito the possibility of lifting a pause on the invocation of a so-called trigger clause that can temporarily lower retail gasoline prices.

However, DPFP leader Yuichiro Takami said at a press conference on Tuesday morning, “As long as the chief cabinet secretary is involved in suspicious activities, we cannot proceed with our policy,” expressing his support for the no-confidence motion.

In contrast, Hiroshi Kajiyama, executive acting secretary general of the LDP, said at a press conference on Tuesday, “We would quietly vote down the no-confidence motion and make the utmost effort for the passage of the remaining bills.”

The CDPJ also considers the submission of a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The party was to hold a meeting of its senior members regarding the motion on Tuesday evening.

Ishin Secretary General Fumitake Fujita told reporters on Tuesday morning: “It’s good [for the CDPJ] to submit a no-confidence motion. If it is submitted, we will vote for it.”