Scandals alarm Japan ruling bloc; Abe’s re-election questioned

April 14, 2018

Tokyo- A wave of scandals rocking Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has alarmed the ruling bloc, leading some members to question whether Abe should be reelected Liberal Democratic Party president in an upcoming poll.

The government is on the defensive as new facts and suspicions emerge one after another over alleged favoritism and other scandals.

They include a suspected cover-up of activity logs of troops sent to Iraq and South Sudan, a discount sale of state-owned land to school operator Moritomo Gakuen, once linked with Abe's wife, Akie, falsification of Finance Ministry documents related to the land, and alleged favoritism tied to a plan to open a university faculty of animal medicine by a Kake Educational Institution, led by a friend of the prime minister.

Sharp criticism from LDP factions and coalition partner Komeito has pounded the government, adding to the difficulties facing Abe.

"The situation is getting worse and worse," said a source close to the prime minister.

The Abe administration hoped to leave the defense and finance ministries to take care of the scandals involving the Ground Self-Defense Force activity logs and document manipulations, respectively.

But Abe has ended up bearing the brunt of mounting criticism from the opposition, particularly after a document quoting a former secretary to Abe as citing Kake's plan as a "prime minister-related matter" surfaced this week.

An LDP source said a likely scenario is that disapproval of Abe will increase, causing him to give up his plan to run for a third consecutive term in the party election in autumn. The source even pointed to the possibility that Abe may quit before his term as party head expires.

"Even a firmly guarded castle may collapse if there is laxness or arrogance," Akiko Santo warned at Thursday's meeting of a faction led by Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, in her capacity as acting head of the group.

With some in the LDP saying that Aso should resign to take responsibility for the Moritomo and document-tampering scandals, a lawmaker in the Aso faction, which supports Abe, said the prime minister should not shift the responsibility onto Aso.

"There is a negative atmosphere about supporting the prime minister" in the party election, the lawmaker said.

With Abe losing momentum, those gunning for the party's top post and some other LDP lawmakers have started criticizing the government.

Fumio Kishida, chairman of the Policy Research Council, told a general meeting of his own faction that "it takes time to just count" the scandals.

"Public confidence in the executive branch and politics is at risk. I want the government to fulfill its accountability," Kishida said.

At a general meeting of his own faction, former Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba said, "It's the ruling bloc's responsibility to find out where the truth lies and regain public confidence in the executive branch."

"Some say we shouldn't criticize (the government), but I think lack of self-cleansing is far more problematic," Ishiba said.

Nobuteru Ishihara, also former secretary-general, told a general meeting of his own faction that many people are fed up with the scandals.

Komeito Secretary-General Yoshihisa Inoue told other lawmakers of his party that document manipulation and other scandals were "outrageous and very regrettable," adding that the government should tackle the problems in a fair manner.

In the meantime, at a fundraising event held by the Aso faction at a Tokyo hotel Thursday, Aso said, "We'll continue to support the administration squarely," showing readiness to back Abe in the leadership election.

Aso said that the stability of the administration has allowed Japan to stay consistent in economic policy management and increase its presence in the international arena.

Attending the event, Abe said that he is determined to implement, together with Aso, pledges that their party made in the House of Representatives election last year.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has told a press conference that the government will tackle problems painstakingly and sincerely. Jiji Press