日本农业部长面临一系列事件带来的辞职压力，而首相高市早苗则在努力让她的内阁远离因丑闻导致的辞职。
Japan’s farm minister faces mounting pressure to quit over a series of incidents, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi battles to keep her cabinet free of scandal-related resignations.
到目前为止，首相一直抵制要求农业部长矢野和夫下台的呼声，此前当地媒体报道称，他声称在2月份的大选中未支持他的市镇的道路工程经费被削减。
So far, the premier has resisted calls to have Agriculture Minister Kazuo Yana step down after local media reports that he claimed to have cut roadworks funding to municipalities that didn’t support him in February’s general election.
在最新事件中，有报道称矢野安排巴士将人们送往选举启动集会。如果被认定为购买选票的行为，这可能会触犯日本严格的选举立法。矢野否认违法，称该交通安排是作为场地费用产生的，不构成捐赠。
In the latest incident, reports say Yana arranged to have buses drive people to an election kickoff rally. That may infringe on Japan’s strict electoral legislation if deemed as a vote-buying move. Yana has denied breaking the law, saying that the transportation was arranged as a venue cost and did not constitute a donation.
可能触犯法律可能使他在内阁中的立场更难以维持。首相表示，她希望周三与矢野会面讨论此事。
A possible infringement of the law may make his position in the cabinet more difficult to defend. The prime minister has said she hopes to meet with Yana on Wednesday to discuss the issue.
“如果看起来存在非法行为，并且我得出结论认为可能存在违法或触犯法律的情况，那么我不会犹豫做出人事决定，”高市早苗在议会上午的发言中表示。她的言论表明，将矢野逐出内阁并非不可能，同时她也在争取时间，就事件的法律细节进行辩论。“我目前无法确定地说这是非法的，”高市补充道。
“If it looks likely there was illegality, and if I come to a conclusion that there may have been unlawfulness or a breach of the law, then I will not hesitate to make a personnel decision,” Takaichi said in parliament in the morning. Her comments suggest that kicking Yana out of the cabinet is not off the cards while also buying time to quibble over the legal fine print of what happened. “I myself cannot say with certainty at this point that it was illegal,” Takaichi added.
首相与矢野的会面预计将在一次议会会议之后进行，届时反对党议员预计将就这些指控质询高市和该部长。
The prime minister’s meeting with Yana is likely to come after a parliamentary session where opposition lawmakers are expected to grill Takaichi and the minister over the allegations.
如果亚纳辞职，他将成为高市一年执政政府中首位因丑闻而下台的部长。她的政府继续获得相对较高的公众支持，目前尚不清楚亚纳的离开是否会对她产生负面影响。全国广播协会NHK的最新民意调查显示，她的公众支持率为51%，比上个月略有下降，但仍高于她最近的前任。
If Yana were to resign, he would become the first minister to step down over a scandal in Takaichi’s year-old government. Her administration continues to receive relatively high public support and it isn’t clear whether Yana’s exit would reflect badly on her. The latest opinion poll by national broadcaster NHK puts her public support at 51%, a fraction down from last month, but still above her recent predecessors.
然而，让亚纳留在内阁也可能在明年春季地方选举前成为高市执政的自由民主党的阻力，届时选民将选择地方领导人和议会成员。
Still, keeping Yana in the cabinet could also pose a headwind for Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party ahead of next spring’s local elections, when voters will choose local leaders and council members.
关于亚纳可能违反选举法的指控，源于此前有报道称，亚纳曾声称将削减对在二月选举中未支持他的地方的道路拨款。
The allegations that Yana could have breached election laws follow reports that Yana had made claims of cutting road funding for localities that didn’t support him in a February election.
作为她可能与这位陷入困境的内阁成员保持距离的迹象，高市周二将他关于拨款的言论描述为“真不酷”，这与上周她表示希望看到亚纳继续留在她内阁中的说法形成了转变。
In a sign she may be distancing herself from the embattled cabinet member, Takaichi on Tuesday described his comments on the funding as “really uncool,” in a change of tune from last week when she said she wanted to see Yana stay on in her cabinet.
亚纳已经收回了关于拨款的言论并道歉。“这非常不恰当，我深感懊悔，”他上周对记者说。他否认曾敦促基础设施省削减对这些地方的拨款。
Yana has retracted his comments about the funding and apologized. “It was very inappropriate and I am deeply remorseful,” he told reporters last week. He denied that he had urged the Infrastructure Ministry to cut funding to the localities.