Japanese Prime Minister Suga’s eldest son, suspicion of entertaining stakeholders

Prime Minister Suga’s apology also leads to controversy
Sue seems to be acting as a bad news for the cabinet

[아시아경제 권재희 기자] Suspicion of hospitality by staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications involving Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s eldest son is spreading.

According to Kyodo News Agency on the 22nd, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced that four executives and nine employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, revealed through media reports, etc., received entertainment from a satellite broadcasting company where the eldest son of Prime Minister Suga works.

The number of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications who received hospitality was 13, including the public affairs officer of Yamada Prefecture, who served as a general affairs deliberation officer, and the number of dinners with companies was confirmed to have reached 39 times.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported the findings of this investigation to the House Budget Committee and acknowledged that 11 out of 13, including the Yamada Cabinet Officer, are likely to fall under the ethical regulations of state officials for’entertainment from stakeholders’.

Earlier, the weekly magazine Shukanbun-shun reported for the first time on the 3rd that Suga’s eldest son Seigo, who is currently working at the satellite broadcasting company Tohoku Shinsha, hosted four executives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications from October to December last year.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is a government department with broadcasting licensing authority.

Accordingly, suspicion was raised that the eldest son of Prime Minister Suga, who works for a satellite broadcasting company, was entertaining executives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for the purpose of affecting the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

In addition, Mr. Seiko has also served as a secretary to the general secretary when Prime Minister Suga served as general secretary in the first cabinet of Shinzo Abe.

According to a survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Yasuhiro Tanawaki, General Affairs Officer, received the most hospitality from Tohoku Shinsha. It turned out to be received.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is planning to disciplinary action against an executive who received hospitality by seeing the eldest son of Prime Minister Suga as a’stakeholder’ for a violation of the ethics regulations.

Prime Minister Suga apologized at the House Budget Committee on the same day, saying, “I sincerely apologize for the conduct of a public official violating the code of ethics in relation to the eldest son, and I am very sorry.”

Despite Prime Minister Suga’s apology, the issue of the Prime Minister’s eldest son is expected to act as bad news for the Suga cabinet.

It is known that the Japanese opposition party will pursue charges of distorting the administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications based on the influence of the prime minister.

However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications insisted that “there was no action to distort the administration” and “there was no influence on the judgment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications regarding the satellite broadcasting license.”

Reporter Kwon Jae-hee [email protected]