Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2026 October 7 - 13 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Agriculture Minister Yana used budget allocations as means to press municipal heads to support him in election

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yana Kazuo on October 5 retracted his remarks suggesting that he had “significantly cut” road budgets for local municipalities whose mayors had not supported him in the February general election, and apologized for the remarks. However, he denied resigning from his ministerial post.

Yana has previously served as a parliamentary secretary for land, infrastructure and transport.

According to audio recordings reported by weekly magazines and local newspapers on September 30, Yana, at a social gathering held by a Liberal Democratic Party chapter in his home prefecture of Tochigi in May, stated that he had “significantly cut” the FY2026 road budgets for Nasukarasuyama City and Nakagawa Town in the prefecture. He cited the mayors’ lack of support in the February House of Representatives election as the reason for the budget cut.

In fact, compared to the previous fiscal year, road-related grants from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport fell by 26.2% for Nasukarasuyama City and by 54.1% for Nakagawa Town.

Of the municipalities in Yana’s electoral district, the mayors of Nasushiobara City, Yaita City, and Nasu Town supported Yana in the election. Nasushiobara City and Nasu Town saw increases in their road grants. Yaita City did not apply for the relevant grants.

Budget allocation is the cornerstone of national governance. If this process is influenced by who to support in an election, not only local autonomy but also the fairness of the national budget allocation itself will be undermined.

Hiratsuka Hidenori, a Japanese Communist Party member of the Nasukarasuyama City Assembly, said, “Yana’s remarks amount to a threat to voters. ‘If you defy me, I’ll cut your budget just like I did for Nasukarasuyama City and Nakagawa Town.’ His remarks negate democracy, and he is unfit to serve as either a cabinet minister or a Dietmember.”