Ministerial Scandal, the Cost of Highashi’s Patronage Is Severe

Highashi’s effort to shield his ally has backfired spectacularly. According to a survey released by Kyodo News on October 18, support for the Highashi cabinet has fallen below 50% for the first time since the administration took office last year, marking a new low. The decline is closely linked to the delayed removal of former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Suga Kōji, who has been embroiled in multiple controversies.

At the end of September, Japanese media revealed that Suga had made explicit threats in February following the general election: local governments that did not back him during the campaign would face significant cuts to their road construction budgets. The statement triggered widespread public outrage, as it constituted a clear case of using public office for personal retaliation—violating fundamental standards of conduct for public officials. Initially, Highashi sought to downplay the incident and attempted to retain Suga in his position. However, shortly thereafter, another scandal emerged: media reports disclosed that Suga’s election team had arranged free bus transportation for supporters during the campaign period, a move that seriously violated Japan’s electoral laws. After this second revelation, Highashi appears to have concluded that the minister was beyond redemption, prompting a decision to replace him. Yet the damage was already done—the political fallout directly contributed to a sharp drop in the cabinet’s approval ratings.

Kyodo News noted that the previous survey, conducted in September, recorded a support rate of 53.4% for the Highashi cabinet. The cumulative impact of these events pushed approval down by 4.3 percentage points, falling below the 50% threshold. In the current poll, 57.7% of respondents believed Highashi’s response to the Suga controversy was too slow, indicating a significant perception of administrative inertia.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1879475891140956/

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