Japan Press Weekly

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2021 February 3 - 9 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Shii: PM Suga should be accountable for his son’s wining/dining scandal

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on February 4 at a press conference in the Diet building said that Prime Minister Suga has a responsibility to disclose to the general public the truth behind a scandal in which his eldest son, who works at a company providing satellite broadcasting, wined and dined Communication Ministry bureaucrats.

National government employees are prohibited from being wined and dined by interested parties under the National Public Service Ethics Act.

The scandal was exposed in the latest issue of the popular weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun. Suga’s son early in his career worked as a secretary to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications who has the authority to issue satellite broadcasting licenses. Currently, he works in a managerial position at the satellite broadcast-related company, Tohokushinsha Film Corporation. According to the magazine report, the younger Suga last year repeatedly entertained four ministry bureaucrats, including a director-general of the information and communications bureau, at expensive restaurants and handed out “hospitality gifts”.

At the press conference, asked for a comment on an argument that PM Suga is not involved in the scandal, Shii said, “PM Suga appointed his eldest son to one of the secretaries to the communications minister when Suga himself filled this post. Therefore, he needs to fulfill his accountability to clear up doubts regarding the wining-dining scandal, including the Suga junior’s alleged use of his father’s influence.

PM Suga received Y4 mil donation from founder of media firm where his son works
February 8, 2021

A revelation has come out regarding the scandal involving Prime Minister Suga's son who works at satellite broadcaster "Tohokushinsha" and who had illegally wined and dined four senior officials of the Ministry of Communications (the broadcasting authority).

The founder and the president at that time of Tohokushinsha provided a total of four million yen in political donations to PM Suga's Liberal Democratic Party chapter between 2012 and 2018, according to the chapter's political funds reports.

The founder of Tohokushinsha is from Yurihonjo City in Akita Prefecture, the same city as PM Suga.

The new revelation highlighted the collusive ties among PM Suga, who served as Minister of Communications, the Ministry, and media-related businesses.

Suga in the Diet said, "My son and I are totally separate persons," acting as if he had nothing to do with his son's entertaining of the four bureaucrats. His son, however, was a secretary to the Communications Minister when Suga himself assumed that post. The son now is an employee of the company whose founder donated money to Suga. Reportedly, the son entertained the high-ranking officials late last year. It was when the satellite "Star Channel" in which Tohokushinsha is a stockholder had to receive the Ministry's approval for a renewal of the channel's broadcasting license.

PM Suga should be held accountable if it is found that broadcasting administration functions were distorted after his son's wining and dining of the relevant bureaucrats.