Isolated Prime Minister

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made an unusual appearance to the Political Ethics Committee in House of Representatives on Thursday. While he hoped to restore public confidence to politics after the slush fund scandal in Liberal Democratic Party eroded his political basis, his explanation in the committee was far from something Japanese citizens could approve. The discussion rather revealed isolation of the prime minister in his political community.

In the opening remarks, Kishida apologized not for his involvement in the scandal as the former president of Kochi-kai (Kishida faction), but for the scandal bringing great skepticisms on politics as the president of LDP. “If it is about lack of sense for abiding by the law, we have to promote political reform to establish compliance,” said Kishida. Promotion of political reform has been what he was saying from the beginning of current Diet session.

 

The focal point in the discussion was when, how and by whom the system of kickback, which was returning sales of ticket for fundraising party beyond quota to party members, had been introduced. “The survey in LDP found that system existed for over ten years. but it is regretfully not clear exactly when and how it was introduced,” said Kishida. That was what everybody knew when the result of survey was released last month.

 

The opposition parties asked why Abe faction, which once decided to abolish the kickback system, continued the secret fund even after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died in 2022. “Having no power of law enforcement,” answered Kishida, “LDP’s hearing could not find it.” Political Ethics Committee is basically convoked with a request of a lawmaker who wants to clear the doubt. Kishida, who requested his attendance to the committee, only exacerbated the situation around himself with giving no clear answer on the scandal.

 

Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda with Constitutional Democratic Party demanded in the discussion of the committee that Kishida would not have any private fundraising party for the rest of his term. Kishida once answered that he would decide appropriately. But after Noda insisted that Kishida should promise it at the committee, Kishida reluctantly said that he would not hold private fundraising party as long as he would be the prime minister.

 

Former Minister for Internal Affairs and the secretary general of Shisui-kai (Nikai faction), Ryota Takeda, tried to protect his boss, Toshihiro Nikai, saying that Nikai had not known anything about the slush fund in the committee after Kishida. Kishida has no person who protect him like Takeda did for Nikai. After the resignation of four ministers with Abe faction, Kishida lost his confidence of lawmakers with Abe faction. Kishida’s outstanding performance of dissolving his faction incurred displeasure of Aso and Motegi faction.

 

He had to decide alone to attend Political Ethics Committee, because no one around him worked for satisfying public demand for clear explanation of the scandal at the committee. Restoring political ethics or promoting political reform now sounds like a slogan of Kishida administration to its own survival.

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