TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday he will remove his son from the position of his secretary due to “inappropriate behaviour” at the official residence.

The decision comes after a magazine reported last week that Shotaro Kishida had invited relatives to the official residence for a party last year, with photos of some pretending to hold a press conference and one lying down on red-carpeted stairs.

“His behaviour last year at the public space was inappropriate for a political secretary, and we have decided to replace him,” Kishida told reporters.

Shotaro will resign on June 1, he added. Kishida had reprimanded his 32-year-old son, but criticism erupted from opposition parties, which called for his removal.

Kishida had already come under fire because of his son, who used official cars while traveling in Europe to buy souvenirs for ministers.

After battling plummeting approval ratings late last year, the government saw support jump to 46 percent in May, before the magazine report about the party was published, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Kishida has lost four ministers in three months over allegations of financial irregularities or links to the controversial Unification Church.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2023