Suga, Japan’s windy day, allegedly entertaining officials of his eldest son

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, struggling with declining approval ratings, encountered another bad news. The suspicion was raised that the eldest son, who works for a satellite broadcasting company, had been entertaining senior executives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, who had the right to obtain relevant licenses.

An article by Shukanbunshun that reported that Japanese Prime Minister Suga’s son had a dinner with the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The man with short hair on the left is Mr. Seigo, the eldest son of Prime Minister Suga.

The Japanese weekly magazine “Shukanbunshun” reported that Suga’s eldest son Seigo was caught having dinner with senior officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications four times from October to December last year in the release issue on the 4th. Seigo is in charge of entertainment-related general manager in the media division of the satellite broadcasting business company’Tohoku Shinsha’.

According to reports, the executives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications who attended the dinner were involved in the licensing of the general affairs judge Yasuhiro Tanawaki, Mabito Yoshida, and satellite broadcasting, who are certain to be promoted to the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications this summer. Yoshinori Akimoto (秋本芳德) Director of Information Distribution Administration and subordinates.

The place they met was a high-end restaurant in Tokyo that cost more than 40,000 yen (about 420,000 won) per person, and after the dinner, Mr. Seigo handed a gift and an envelope with a taxi ticket to the executives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. .

Whether this was a’solicitation purpose’ or whether money or money was exchanged has not been confirmed yet. However, if any illegal matters related to this dinner party are confirmed, it will be a fatal blow to Prime Minister Suga’s morality.

Seigo, who wears short hair in the picture in Shukanbun-shun, is the first of Suga’s three sons. As a young man, he fell in love with music and worked as a band, and Prime Minister Suga often talked about his eldest son’s career path.

An article by Shukanbunshun that reported that Japanese Prime Minister Suga’s son had a dinner with the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

According to the magazine, in 2006, when he first became a minister of secretary in the first Abe cabinet, Prime Minister Suga appointed his eldest son, who was in his mid-twenties, as his secretary. However, Seigo wasn’t able to adjust to his life as a secretary, and after that, Prime Minister Suga asked his sponsor, Tohoku Shinsha, to find a job for his son. It is said that the founder of Tohoku Shinsha is from Akita Prefecture with Prime Minister Suga.

Tohoku Shinsha has satellite broadcasting channels such as Star Channel, Go and Janggi Channel, and The Cinema, and these channels are operated under license from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. A company official said to Shukanbunshun, “The title of (Seigo’s) is the entertainment manager, but in reality it serves as a connection window to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Suga’s second and third sons are known to have graduated from Tokyo University and Hosei University and work for large companies.

Last December, when they met, was a time when there was a re-approval screening of the star channel, which must be judged every five years, Shukanbun-shun said. It was also a time ahead of the renewal of approval for 4K broadcasting, which Tohoku Shinsha is counting as its main business. This is the reason why some point out that this position where the’son of the prime minister’ attended is inappropriate.

Prime Minister Suga said, “I don’t know at all. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will respond appropriately,” the Asahi Shimbun reported, after receiving questions from reporters regarding the report on the night of the 3rd.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga holding a press conference on the 28th of last month. [연합뉴스]

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is investigating whether there is any violation of this meeting. In accordance with the ethical regulations under the Japanese National Public Officials Ethics Act, stakeholders must not receive entertainment in which all expenses are covered, and even if each individual pays the expenses, it is required to report in advance if it exceeds 10,000 yen (approximately 106,000 won). . Officials who attended the dinner did not report in advance, and it is known that they reported after the start of the interview with Shukanbunshun.

Tohoku Shinsha side acknowledged that “there is the fact that company employees have had a meeting with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for the purpose of exchanging information,” and replied, “We have considered public official ethics regulations and recognize that Tohoku Shinsha is not a stakeholder.”

Tokyo = Correspondent Lee Young-hee [email protected]