Scandals surrounding Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Japan's ruling party will likely lead to Kishida's replacement in 2024, which could cause Tokyo to focus on domestic affairs, weakening Japan's efforts to expand its regional military ties in the face of strategic challenges from China. On Dec. 14, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the resignations of top cabinet officials in connection to a slush fund scandal within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The officials include Chief Cabinet Minister Hirokazu Matsuno, Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita, and Internal Affairs Minister Junji Suzuki. Three LDP leaders also stepped down from their posts, including the chairman of the party's research council, Koichi Hagiuda, parliamentary affairs chief Tsuyoshi Takagi, and LDP secretary-general of the Upper House Hiroshige Seko. All seven of these officials were from the Abe faction in the LDP, formerly led by late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,...
