Photo/Illutration Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi heads to the lectern to respond to a question at the Nov. 11 Upper House plenary session while Prime Minister Fumio Kishida remains seated to his left. (Koichi Ueda)

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reversed course and sacked his embattled justice minister, Yasuhiro Hanashi, only hours after denying he had any intention of firing him.

Kishida met with reporters in the evening of Nov. 11 and explained that he was appointing Ken Saito, a former agriculture minister, to replace Hanashi.

Just before that, Hanashi met with Kishida to hand him his resignation. Hanashi then told reporters he was stepping down.

“I used the term ‘death sentence’ too lightly,” Hanashi said. “I caused the public and Justice Ministry officials to hold uncomfortable feelings. I have also caused Diet deliberations to stall.”

Kishida had just publicly defended Hanashi that morning in an appearance at the Upper House plenary session. He explained to lawmakers that Hanashi would remain in his post since the minister had retracted his remark and apologized for it.

But Kishida apparently changed his mind shortly afterward.

Even lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party were flabbergasted by the remark made by Hanashi on Nov. 9 at a gathering of LDP lawmakers, and some openly speculated it would cost him his job.

Hanashi said he has a “low-profile” position in the Cabinet that only gets him onto the noon TV news programs when he gives his stamp of approval for carrying out a death sentence. He retracted the comment the next day.

It also came out that Hanashi had repeated that lament more than once.

At his own news conference on Nov. 11, he admitted he had made similar comments at other past gatherings of LDP lawmakers, as well as at gatherings in his local constituency in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Kishida was scheduled to leave for Southeast Asia on Nov. 11 to attend a series of international conferences, but the departure has been delayed, sources said.

Some within the LDP blamed Kishida for naming Hanashi to the post. Hanashi is notably a member of the LDP faction headed by Kishida.

Hanashi will become the second minister forced out of the Kishida Cabinet.

On Oct. 24, Daishiro Yamagiwa was removed as state minister in charge of economic revitalization after numerous reports of his ties to the Unification Church, now formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

Two other Cabinet ministers are also in the opposition’s crosshairs for their questionable handling of political fund reports.

Support ratings for the Kishida Cabinet have plunged ever since reports began to surface about close ties between LDP lawmakers and the Unification Church.

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