Two heavyweight ministers have resigned over allegations of election irregularities in less than two months since an early September Cabinet reshuffle.

It is clear that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made many wrong choices for his new Cabinet, which he described as a team to achieve “stability” and tackle “challenges.”

Abe should take their departures seriously as a heavy blow to the credibility of the entire administration.

Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai stepped down on Oct. 31 following the resignation of trade minister Isshu Sugawara on Oct. 25.

Kawai’s action was triggered by an article in the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine about a possible violation of the Public Offices Election Law by the campaign for his wife, Anri, who was elected to the Upper House for the first time from the Hiroshima district in July.

The article said Anri Kawai paid staff members, who chanted her name and slogans from campaign vehicles, 30,000 yen ($248) each per day, exceeding the legal limit of 15,000 yen.

The campaign forged two receipts for these daily allowance payments, each stating 15,000 yen as the amount paid, in an apparent accounting gimmick to avoid violating the law, according to the article.

If the allegations are true, the payments constitute buying off campaign staffers, which is banned by the election law. Even if the candidate herself was unaware of the violation, her election would be invalidated if a campaign staff member subject to the guilt-by-complicity provision is convicted of violating the law.

The allegations are very serious and could cost Anri Kawai her job as an Upper House member.

But she denied her involvement in the management of her campaign office, which she said was left to her staff. Her only response to the allegations was a brief statement saying she would find out the facts and explain them to the public.

Katsuyuki Kawai did not fare any better in responding to the allegations. He made a brief comment, saying, “Neither I nor my wife has any knowledge” of the alleged wrongdoing reported in the article and “I believe the campaign’s activities were all legal.”

He was supposed to face questions in the Upper House Judicial Affairs Committee on Oct. 31. His decision to bow out immediately after the magazine article was published seemed intended to avoid being questioned about the allegations in the Diet.

Sugawara, the former economy minister, also resigned shortly before a Lower House Economy and Industry Committee session. One week after his departure, Sugawara has yet to answer related questions in public.

Abe himself has shown similar disregard for the responsibility of the government and its members to explain their decisions and actions to the public.

He did not hold a news conference to explain the seriousness of the Cabinet members’ resignations. Instead, he only talked about the issues while standing and talking with reporters.

The prime minister has said he is keenly aware of his responsibility and offered “heartfelt apologies to the people” over these matters.

Since Abe returned to power in late 2012, however, as many as 10 Cabinet members have resigned over allegations of irregularities or controversial remarks.

The endless series of resignations has raised serious doubt about the sincerity of his words.

Katsuyuki Kawai was a questionable pick for the Cabinet in the first place. Magazine articles had already reported on his alleged violence against his secretaries as well as “power harassment” and “sexual harassment.”

But Abe nevertheless gave him the Cabinet portfolio responsible for judicial matters and public prosecutions.

The appointments of both Kawai and Sugawara, who is believed to have given illegal gifts to voters in his electoral district, are symptomatic of the endemic arrogance and lax discipline within the Abe administration, which has ruled the nation for nearly seven years.

If he really feels responsibility for making these misguided Cabinet appointments, Abe should first accept the opposition demand for intensive Budget Committee sessions on the related issues. He cannot take a first step toward regaining public trust without leading the administration’s efforts to explain its decisions and actions to the public.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 1