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A lawmaker involved in the Liberal Democratic Party's slush fund scandal was appointed to the second Takaichi reshuffled cabinet.
In the second Takaichi reshuffled cabinet that was inaugurated on the 17th, two members of the House of Representatives from the former Abe faction, who were involved in the Liberal Democratic Party faction's slush fund scandal, joined the cabinet. Yoshihiro Seki, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, expressed remorse, saying, ``I will be responsible for this for the rest of my life.'' Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Kazuo Yan said, ``We have gone through two (House of Representatives) elections.We have been fully accountable, so I would like to fulfill the responsibilities given to us.'' Both answered questions from reporters at the prime minister's official residence.
Seki apologized, saying, ``I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused (by the incident).'' ``I want to do politics that will bring joy to the people, even just a little, for the sake of a better world, as food for my soul,'' he said.
Regarding this, Fumitake Fujita, co-chairman of the Nippon Ishin no Kai, announced at a press conference on the 17th that during a meeting with the leaders of the ruling party on the same day, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi explained that the decision criteria were that the party had been judged twice in the election after the incident was discovered, and that the party had fulfilled its accountability in the Diet and other meetings.
Mr. Fujita expressed his understanding, saying, ``The most important thing is for the prime minister to give a thorough explanation.We also approve of (the prime minister's decision).''

The second Takaichi reshuffled cabinet was inaugurated on the 17th. Prime Minister Takaichi prioritized policy continuity by retaining key cabinet members, including Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara and Foreign Minister Motegi. On the other hand, the government will seek to balance reform and stability by inducting Yoshihiro Seki, who was involved in the factional slush funds scandal, and others into the cabinet for the first time, and also appointing Hiroshi Nakatsuka from the Nippon Ishin no Kai.

The second Takaichi reshuffled cabinet was inaugurated on the evening of the 17th after a certification ceremony at the Imperial Palace. Prime Minister Takaichi has placed an emphasis on continuity, retaining Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara and Foreign Minister Motegi, and appointing for the first time a lawmaker involved in the factional slush fund scandal.

An investigation by the Board of Audit revealed that 103 of the 700 IC card printers used to create residence cards owned by Immigration Bureaus around the country were not in use, or about 15%.

On the 17th, five members of the House of Representatives from the Constitutional Democratic Party who left the Centrist Reform Alliance reported to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications the formation of a new party, the Democratic Reform Party. Junya Ogawa, a former Nakamichi representative, has been appointed as the party's representative, and has indicated that he will aim for a change of government.

According to Jiji Press' September opinion poll, the Takauchi Cabinet's approval rating decreased by 4.3 points from the previous month to 44.1%. On the same day, a reshuffled cabinet was announced, including the continued appointment of Economy and Security Minister Onoda, the appointment of Environment Minister Hiroyoshi Sasakawa, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara and others, appointment of Meiji Restoration Minister Hiroshi Nakatsukasa as regulatory reform minister, and appointment of Rep. Ibayashi Tatsunori as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. In addition, the Liberal Democratic Party's Goshi Hosono, Kazuo Yan, Takashi Yamashita, Hiroyoshi Sasakawa, Hisayuki Fujii, Yasuhiro Harashi, and Yoshihiro Seki have been confirmed to join the cabinet. Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan announced that personal financial assets at the end of June reached a record high of 2,519 trillion yen, US President Trump called on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, and the New York Dow at one point fell by more than 800 points. The Federal Reserve has signaled one more rate hike this year, raising the policy rate by 0.25% to 3.75% to 4.00% this year. A special court in The Hague has sentenced former Kosovo President Thaci to 25 years in prison.

According to Jiji Press' September opinion poll, the Takauchi cabinet's approval rating decreased by 4.3 points from the previous month to 44.1%. On the same day, a series of personnel changes were made in the reshuffled cabinet, including the continued appointment of Economy and Security Minister Onoda, the appointment of Environment Minister Sasakawa, and the appointment of Chuji as Minister of Regulatory Reform under the Meiji Restoration. Meanwhile, the US Federal Reserve raised its policy interest rate by 0.25%, hinting at one more rate hike this year, and the New York Dow at one point recorded a decline of more than 800 points.