Japan’s Reconstruction Minister Kenya Akiba tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday, becoming the fourth minister to leave the Kishida-appointed cabinet in August.
Three other ministers have resigned in succession due to scandals, some of them related to funding and ties to the Unification Church.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s close ties to the religious group came to light after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and have been cited by respondents to public opinion polls as one of the reasons behind the low rates of Kishida’s approval.
Opposition parties have accused Akiba of being involved in electoral law violations and having ties to the Unification Church, although Akiba has denied any wrongdoing.
“I did not do a single thing that violated the law,” Akiba told reporters gathered at the prime minister’s office after handing in his resignation to Kishida.
Akiba will be replaced by former Reconstruction Minister Hiromichi Watanabe, Kishida said.