March 16, 2024

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The Liberal Democratic Party Youth Division in the Kinki region in November of last year invited female dancers in revealing costumes and went on a spree at its get-together in Wakayama Prefecture, in which some LDP Dietmembers and local assemblypersons participated. Photos of several attendees tipping the dancers by mouth were leaked, drawing a lot of criticism.

LDP member of the Wakayama Prefectural Assembly Kawabata Tetsuya who prepared this event explained that the event’s intent was “diversity”. Does it constitute diversity if women are brought to dance at a meeting where only men are present? Not a single female, aside from the dancers. was at that get-together. This in itself epitomizes the LDP’s lack of diversity and its lagging efforts in realizing gender equality.

In the photos of the mouth-to-mouth tipping, the dancers seem to be treated not as dancers but as sexual entertainers. At the root of the problem is probably the LDP’s deep-seated disdain for women.

LDP House of Representatives member Fujiwara Takashi, who was present at the event, resigned as head of the LDP Youth Division, admitting that the gathering was inappropriate. LDP Wakayama Prefectural Assemblyperson Kawabata left the party and refused to give up his assembly seat.

The Wakayama LDP’s funds include the money from the LDP headquarters in Tokyo. The income of the LDP headquarters includes government subsidies which are funded by people’s tax money. In 2022, public money accounted for more than 60% of the LDP headquarters’ total revenues. In other words, the LDP relies heavily on tax money for its political activities. In short, people are paying taxes for “political activities” like the one in Wakayama this time.

The very nature of the LDP politicians and the LDP itself should be called into question as they participated in the inappropriate party and thought nothing of the shameful act.