Japan Press Weekly

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2014 March 19 - 25 [POLITICS]

Abe does not live in official residence but budgets Y150 million for maintenance

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo does not live in the prime minister’s official residence, despite being required to reside there to enable him to carry out his duties smoothly and without delay in emergencies, and will spend 150 million yen of the budget on its maintenance.

Since he became prime minister, he has lived in his mother’s private house, not in the official residence attached to the Prime Minister’s Office. He uses the official residence only as a temporary accommodation as well as for meals or social gatherings with ruling party politicians and media executives.

The Abe government allocated more than 150 million yen in the FY2014 budget for 24-hour security for the empty house in addition to maintenance costs for utilities and house cleaning.

He always stresses the importance of national security, but many raise questions if he can actually get to the PM’s office during major disasters such as an expected earthquake occurring in the Tokyo Metropolitan area.