Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yan retracts and apologizes for budget cuts, announces intention to continue

On the 5th, Liberal Democratic Party Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Kazuo Yan retracted his statement in which he said that the road budget of local governments in his home prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, had been "significantly cut" and apologized. On the same day, he revealed that he had been instructed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to "fulfill his duties," and reiterated his intention to continue in the post. He spoke to reporters inside the Diet.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yan says, ``I caused a misunderstanding.'' He intends to stay in office, says budget cuts

The remarks were reported by Bunshun Online and Weekly Shincho. According to the report, at a social gathering of a party branch held in May in Tochigi Prefecture before he was appointed as a cabinet minister, Mr. Yan made statements such as, ``The road budget for 2026 has been drastically cut,'' and ``the leaders have taken actions such as ``We don't need Liberal Democratic Party Diet members.'''' regarding Nasukarasuyama City and Nakagawa Town, where the leaders supported rival candidates in the February House of Representatives election.

Mr. Yan acknowledged that the reported statements were true, but explained, ``There is no fact that I have approached the relevant ministries and agencies for budget cuts.'' He apologized, saying, ``It was extremely inappropriate for me to make comments that suggested that the budget could be influenced by my wishes.It was immoral and I deeply regret it.''

Yan denied that he was resigning, saying, ``I would like to do my best in my job and continue to fulfill my duties toward the development of Japan's agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries.''

Opposition parties have repeatedly called for responsibility. Yuichiro Tamaki, representative of the Democratic Party for the People, told reporters, ``The essence of the problem is that the administration may have been distorted.'' He called for all ministries and agencies to investigate whether similar situations exist and report to the Diet.

Junya Ogawa, representative of the Democratic Reform Association, called for his resignation, saying, ``He is not worthy of the (cabinet) position. Either he will be judged by himself, or the prime minister will fulfill his responsibility for appointing him. Either is preferable.'' Shunichi Mizuoka, representative of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said at a press conference, ``Severe measures, including dismissal, are necessary.'' Tomoko Tamura, chairwoman of the Communist Party of Japan, also appealed, saying, ``This is a suspicion of bribery.We will call for his removal and resignation.''