Participants were stunned by what Prime Minister Kishida said at a “closed-door seminar” on the day after the national funeral. | FRIDAY DIGITAL

Participants were stunned by what Prime Minister Kishida said at a “closed-door seminar” on the day after the national funeral.

On September 28, the day after the national funeral, Prime Minister Kishida spoke at a "political seminar" held at a hotel in Chiyoda Ward. What was the content of his speech, which was "not at all concrete," he said to a packed audience of about 80 people?

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Prime Minister Kishida speaking at a seminar. SPs with steel bags were flanking him.

Prime Minister Kishida said, “I made a comprehensive decision from the viewpoint of the right person for the right job in view of the milestone of one year since the inauguration of the administration.”

This was Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s (65) answer when asked about the selection of his eldest son, Shotaro (31), as secretary to the prime minister at a plenary session of the House of Representatives on October 5.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, 65, has been ridiculed as a “kentoshi” (a “consideration officer”) because he avoids giving concrete explanations when asked about anything and only says, “I will consider it. This “Ken-toushi” attitude was on full display at the members-only “political seminar” held immediately after the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The seminar, held at a hotel in Chiyoda Ward on September 28, the day after the funeral, started at 11:30 am. Prime Minister Kishida appeared at the venue around 12:00 p.m., about 30 minutes after the start of the seminar.

This seminar is held by a veteran political journalist, and is known for having such big names as Senator Toshihiro Nikai as a speaker at each session. This time, the atmosphere was very tense, with more than 10 SPs stationed at the entrance of the venue, as it was right after a state funeral and Prime Minister Kishida was scheduled to attend. The venue was packed with about 80 participants. There were also five SPs stationed inside the venue, with four carrying bags filled with steel plates flanking Mr. Kishida, and one of them was looking around the entire venue with a stern gaze,” said a male participant.

Naturally, the participants were interested in what Prime Minister Kishida thought about the pros and cons of the state funeral. They were also interested in the relationship between the former Unification Church and the LDP.

However, no concrete details emerged from the mouth of Prime Minister Kishida, who took the podium for about 20 minutes, guarded by an SP. The following is the actual content of Kishida’s speech.

Well, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan. Yesterday, we held a state funeral for former Prime Minister Abe. Thanks to everyone’s cooperation, I believe that we were able to carefully respond to the many condolences we received from home and abroad, and that we were able to quietly send former Prime Minister Abe off to his final resting place.

Prime Minister Kishida, who so addressed the audience at the beginning of his speech, went on to talk about corona measures and price measures. However, he made no mention of future policies, saying only that “various initiatives are underway.

He then entered the question-and-answer period without speaking himself on the issue of the former Unification Church.

When asked by the moderator, “You said you are going to examine the issue, but what will you be examining?

The moderator asked, “You said you were going to examine (the funerals).

I think it is important to keep a record of how the funeral was conducted and on what basis, and with what thoughts, in order to contribute to future discussions. I think it is important to keep a record of how the funeral was conducted, so that it can be used in future discussions.

He continued, “I think it is important to keep a record of how the funeral took place in this country. He continued, “Regarding the issue with the former Unification Church, I think it is important to keep a record of how the funeral took place in this country.

I think it is important to keep a record of the fact that there was a relationship with the former Unification Church, so that future discussions can proceed. I think it will be difficult to raise the approval rating unless the people see this in a visible form.

Prime Minister Kishida was asked a penetrating question, to which he declined to answer.

There are various opinions. I think we have to accept them and think about what to do about them. It is a fact that there were various relationships between the ruling and opposition parties, so I would like the prime minister to start by making a full report and giving an explanation. What is most important of all is that after this, we must “firmly sever all relations.

I have clearly stated this, and I think it is of the utmost importance that we do so. I would like to think carefully about how we will show this, and how we will sever relations with organizations that are causing social problems in the future. (We are going to sever our ties with them, but I think the question is how we will show this in concrete terms.

Toward the end of his speech, Prime Minister Kishida was asked to make one final resolution. Even so, he remained silent until the end of his speech.

He continued, “I think it is important to produce results one by one. Thank you very much.”

The participants who heard his speech sighed.

I was surprised that Mr. Kishida came the day after the state funeral. However, since so much has been revealed about the slovenly relationship between the LDP and the former Unification Church, I would have liked to hear more concrete views from Mr. Kishida, the prime minister and president of the LDP. Frankly, I am disappointed. Even though I have high expectations for his administration, he has said nothing concrete, so I have no idea what to expect from him.”

As long as he continues to be a “study envoy,” it seems unlikely that the Kishida cabinet’s approval rating will improve in the future.

In his 20-minute speech, he did not make any specific remarks that would attract the interest of the participants.

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