Japan PM expected to overhaul scandal-plagued cabinet as soon as Wednesday

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is widely expected to announce a cabinet shake-up as soon as Wednesday as he seeks to stem the fallout from a fundraising scandal that has further dented public support for his embattled administration. Kishida has indicated that Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno - who holds one of the most powerful posts in government - is among those to be removed, the head of his ruling coalition partner Natsuo Yamaguchi said on Wednesday morning. Kishida as recently as Tuesday said he wanted Matsuno, who coordinates policy across government on his behalf, to continue in his job. Four cabinet ministers and several deputy ministers are expected to go, according to local media reports, as prosecutors investigate whether some lawmakers received thousands of dollars in fundraising proceeds missing from official party accounts. The main opposition party is also considering calling a no-confidence motion in Kishida's administration on Wednesday, which would be almost certain to fail given the majority his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and partner Komeito hold in parliament.