Japan PM purges cabinet after financial scandal

STORY: Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida purged his cabinet on Thursday (Dec 14) in the wake of a major controversy.

He wants to contain the fallout from the biggest finance scandal his ruling party has faced in decades.

Kishida removed four ministers, including chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno and industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura.

He's replaced them with experienced heads, including a former foreign minister and former justice minister.

Yoshimasa Hayashi is the new Chief Cabinet Secretary.

"As the government is under intense scrutiny, I would like to do whatever I can within the responsibilities given to me to restore trust."

The removed ministers all hail from the Liberal Democratic Party's most powerful faction that is at the center of a criminal investigation into missing accounts.

Media reports have said an investigation into the scandal focuses on dozens of lawmakers.

It reportedly wants to find out whether they benefited from fundraising events that kept millions of dollars off official party records.

The scandal has hit the government's popularity, and left analysts questioning whether Kishida can survive until September next year - when a leadership vote for the ruling party is due.

A poll on Thursday suggested the clearout was unlikely to stop Kishida's slide in public support.

Just 17% of those polled said they backed his administration - the lowest for any premier in more than a decade.