TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his cabinet on Wednesday, dropping some ministers with links to the Unification Church after a growing backlash over the ruling party's ties to the controversial group led to a slump in public support.

Kishida unveiled his new team in a shake-up earlier than analysts had expected, underscoring how lawmakers' ties to the church have become a liability for the premier less than a year after he came to power. 

But even as his party has sought to distance itself from the church, with a top official vowing this week to sever ties, the church defended its right to participate in politics, holding a rare news conference. 

Some key cabinet members, such as the foreign and finance ministers, retained their posts, but among the high-profile ministers removed was the younger brother of slain former premier Shinzo Abe, Nobuo Kishi, who had been defence minister.

Abe's suspected killer has said his mother was a Unification Church member bankrupted by donating to it, and blamed Abe for promoting the group.

In the latest survey, Kishida's support had fallen to 46% from 59% just three weeks ago, public broadcaster NHK said on Monday, for his lowest rating since becoming prime minister last October.

"Criticism over the Unification Church caused a big drop in public support for the administration and stopping that decline was a big reason for bringing forward the reshuffle of the cabinet and major party positions," said Shigenobu Tamura, a political commentator who previously worked for the LDP.

In all, seven ministers who had disclosed ties to the church were reshuffled, Tamura said.

DELICATE BALANCE

Analysts said that while Kishida sought to limit fall-out from the controversy, he also had to keep a delicate balance in appeasing powerful factions within the LDP, particularly the largest, to which Abe had belonged.

For example, Kishida removed industry minister Koichi Hagiuda, giving him a key party position instead. Hagiuda is a member of Abe's faction and was close to the former premier.

Abe's brother Kishi was replaced as defence minister by Yasukazu Hamada, reprising his former role, and likely to help push for the increased defence budget Kishida has promised. Kishida will hold a news conference later on Wednesday.

At a news briefing with foreign media, the local head of the Unification Church, Tomihiro Tanaka, said it did not seek donations from members they cannot afford.

The church has had strong connection to politics through affiliated groups, which included greater interaction with LDP politicians because of its anti-Communist stance, he added at Wednesday's event.

Kishida, who has said he has no ties to the Unification Church, said this week that new cabinet members and party officials would have to "thoroughly review" their links to the group, a sign he wanted to take a strict line.

But Minoru Terada, appointed internal affairs minister in the reshuffle, had given money to a Unification Church-affiliated group, the Asahi Shimbun daily paper said.

It also said that Economy Minister Daishiro Yamagiwa, who is to stay in his post, had made a contribution to a church-related group.

The paper quoted Terada as saying he was not aware the group to which he gave money had connections to the Unification Church and would have no further dealings with it.

Yamagiwa's office was quoted as saying he would explain his contribution later on Wednesday.

"The roots of the (Unification) Church are deep," said political commentator Joji Harano.

"Given that they're dealing with potentially explosive issues, party unity and reconciliation may remain something distant."