State Minister of Finance Faces Tax Delinquency Controversy

The state minister of finance, Kenji Kanda, apologized on November 9 for the trouble caused by his company’s failure to pay property taxes. He expressed deep regret and assured that he would take precautions to prevent a recurrence in the future. However, he declined to resign from his position as the deputy of the finance minister, stating that he will continue to devote himself to his duties. Kanda admitted to the reports that his personal company had repeatedly failed to pay local taxes and that a building owned by the company had been foreclosed on four times. He mentioned that he was too busy with work to get involved in the tax payments and left the matter in the hands of his staff at the tax accountant office. Kanda also faced criticism from opposition members during a committee session, with one member questioning his excuse for not fulfilling his duty to pay taxes. In addition to the tax delinquency, it was reported that Kanda had not taken the required training as a licensed tax accountant, to which he confirmed and apologized. Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki emphasized the importance of ethics for officials at the Finance Ministry and expressed the expectation for Kanda to explain his actions with sincerity. This incident comes after two other lawmakers appointed to top ministerial positions resigned over scandals. Taro Yamada stepped down as parliamentary vice minister of education after admitting to an affair, and Mito Kakizawa resigned as state minister of justice for advising illegal paid internet advertising. The resignations occurred despite Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s statement that he had appointed the right people in the right places when he shuffled his Cabinet in September.