Kishida, according to the media outlet, plans to appoint fellow Liberal Democratic Party deputy and former foreign minister Takeaki Matsumoto as Terada's successor, according to a source close to the prime minister. The announcement will be official this Monday morning.

Last October 24, the Minister of Economic Revitalization, Daishiro Yamagiwa, resigned because of his ties with the Unification Church, now a target of criticism after the assassin of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the relations between the organization and Japanese politicians.

More recently, Kishida dismissed then Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi on November 11 after frivolous comments on the death penalty.

Approval of the Japanese prime minister's government is at rock bottom with only 33 percent approval, according to the latest survey by Japanese public television NHK, the lowest since he was elected prime minister in October 2021.

It is the fourth consecutive month of falling approval for Kishida's cabinet and the 33 percent figure is down 5 points from the previous month. In contrast, the rate of disapproval of the Kishida government's work has risen three points to 46 percent.