March 5, 2021

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on March 4 said to the press corps that Prime Minister Suga’s policy of lowering mobile phone fees allegedly lies behind the offering of lavish dinners by Japan’s telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co. (NTT) to a high-ranking official of the communications ministry.

Shii said this when commenting on a scandal which was revealed in the latest issue of the weekly magazine “Shukan Bunshun”. According to the magazine, NTT had wined and dined Communications Ministry’s vice minister for policy coordination Taniwaki Yasuhiko and former Cabinet Public Relations Secretary Yamada Makiko at expensive restaurants. Shii stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the scandal.

Taniwaki and Yamada are key persons in another wining/dining scandal involving satellite broadcasting company Tohokushinsha where PM Suga’s son is employed. Yamada resigned as PM Suga’s press secretary after the revelation of this scandal.

Past related article:
> Shii: PM Suga should be accountable for his son’s wining/dining scandal [February 5, 2021]