Yasuhiro Hanashi resigned as justice minister after coming under fire over a remark he made about the death penalty.

Hanashi made a joke out of his duty to authorize executions, effectively saying it was the only time a justice minister comes to national attention.

He clearly was not fit for his office and deserved to lose his job, considering the gravity of the state taking a person’s life.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida deserves criticism for his initial wishy-washy decision to retain Hanashi in the post.

Kishida made an about-face in a panicky reaction to a growing furor from lawmakers within and outside the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The debacle delivered yet another heavy blow to the credibility of his judgment and leadership.

Hanashi handed in his resignation to Kishida in the evening of Nov. 11.

Speaking at an LDP function, Hanashi quipped that he was in a “low-profile” position that only gets the holder onto the noon TV news programs when they officially approve a state hanging.

The remark demonstrated that he lacked any sense of the seriousness of executions or awareness of the gravity of his office, which requires the holder to sign death warrants for condemned prison inmates.

He later retracted the remark, but by then it was too late and he had no hope of redeeming public trust.

Outrageously, Hanashi made similar remarks about his job in other meetings.

The Justice Ministry keeps stressing it takes a “cautious and strictly responsible” stance toward the death penalty in light of a global trend to abolish capital punishment as well as calls at home for an end to the system.

Since Hanashi was the top official who had the final say on a death row inmate’s fate, his thoughtless and indiscreet remarks shook the foundation of the legitimacy of executions.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Hanashi made other remarks that raised doubt about his qualifications as justice minister.

For instance, Hanashi said he had been grabbing more headlines recently because it unexpectedly fell to him to deal with issues emanating from the activities of the Unification Church. Or, as he put it, he “was hugged by” those issues.

This signaled his total lack of sincerity about his responsibility as the minister in charge of providing relief to victims of the dubious activities of the religious organization formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

He also lamented the fact that the post of justice minister did not help him raise money or garner votes. In saying this, he simply devalued the dignity of his own office.

Some LDP lawmakers began to roundly criticize the politician and call for his resignation as the series of controversial remarks came to light.

Kishida responded to the criticism on Nov. 10 by summoning Hanashi to the prime minister’s office and ensuring that Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno gave him a dressing down.

Kishida at that point said he did not intend to sack the justice minister, telling reporters he wanted Hanashi to be aware of the gravity of his duties and fulfill his responsibility to explain his words and actions.

Other members of the Kishida Cabinet are also under pressure, including Minoru Terada, the internal affairs minister, who has been criticized by opposition parties for an irregularity concerning his political funds reports.

Hanashi’s resignation came only weeks after Daishiro Yamagiwa was removed as state minister in charge of economic revitalization following reports of his ties to the Unification Church.

Kishida may have feared a resignation “domino effect.” But he should focus on how to respond to public criticism and distrust instead of seeking to save his political bacon.

Hanashi’s resignation came shortly after Kishida told the Nov. 11 Upper House plenary session that Hanashi would remain in his post since the minister had retracted his remark and apologized for it.

Kishida later said he had accepted the minister’s offer to step down.

Asked about his Nov. 10 decision to keep Hanashi on, Kishida only repeated what he had told the minister earlier about being aware of his official responsibilities and making every effort to explain his words and actions.

Kishida cannot hope to regain public trust if he continues leaving the decision to ministers embroiled in scandals without taking responsibility as the person who appointed them.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 12