The Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced today that he will remove his son from his post of secretary due to “misbehavior” at the official residence.

The decision follows a magazine report last week that Sotaro Kishida had invited friends to the head of government’s official residence for a party last year, with photos of some pretending to hold a press conference and one guest lying down on a red carpeted staircase.

“His behavior last year in public was unbecoming of a political secretary, and we have decided to replace him,” Fumio Kishida told reporters, clarifying that his son would step down on June 1.

The revelations embarrassed Kishida, whose popularity had been boosted by the recent Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima.

Fumio Kishida had reprimanded his 32-year-old son but opposition criticism intensified, calling for his resignation.

The prime minister had already faced criticism over the attitude of his son, who used official cars during trips to Europe to buy souvenirs for ministers.

Kishida has lost four ministers in the space of three months over allegations of financial irregularities or ties to the controversial Moon sect, also known as the Unification Church.