The Real Reputation of Secretary Shoutarou and Prime Minister Kishida

The eldest son of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Shoutarou, who serves as his “political secretary,” is now facing problems for his “sightseeing tours” around the country. He is said to have accompanied the prime minister to Paris and London, where he “went sightseeing in his official car,” “had dinner at a bistro,” and “begged for commemorative photos with dignitaries,” among other activities.

From the outset, there were those who questioned the “wisdom” of his decision to appoint a secretary last October.

The selection of his eldest son, Shoutarou, as secretary-general was a sign that Prime Minister Kishida, who was supposed to be calm and collected, had begun to run amok. This appointment at this time is inappropriate no matter how you think about it. It is too bad timing at any cost. At this time of national crisis, this is not the time to be making “foil personnel appointments” for the sake of hereditary succession. Even a layman can understand that there will be opposition.

Prime Minister Kishida’s “listening skills” were not invoked, however, and in December, allegations of “information leaks” were even made.

In December, however, Prime Minister Kishida’s “listening skills” were not invoked, and in December, an allegation of “information leakage” surfaced. The facts are still under wraps, but the Prime Minister’s Office was in an uproar. It is true that in the past two months, there have been a number of cases in which information on personnel matters and bills leaked to the media ahead of government announcements,” said a senior official in the political section of a national newspaper.

On the morning of January 27, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara held a press conference to discuss the issue of his “outing for sightseeing,” which was sparked by a report in the “Shukan Shincho” newspaper of January 26.

At this point, we have confirmed that there was no inappropriate behavior other than that which was part of his official duties as political secretary.”

The prime minister, whose narcissism is on the rise…

A staff member at the prime minister’s office, who was surprised by the change in the prime minister’s demeanor at the start of work on January 6, confided, “The prime minister was supposed to be calm and collected.”

In his New Year’s address, he said, “The Kishida administration has announced to the public that it will strengthen the defense capability, which even Prime Minister Abe could not say. And it is the Kishida administration that has decided to use income tax as the source of funds to strengthen the defense capability, which even Prime Minister Abe could not do. I couldn’t believe my ears at such self-praise.”

Former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and other members of the Abe faction are watching with bitterness as the exuberant Kishida says in his second sentence that his administration has “surpassed that of former Prime Minister Abe.

“What Kishida is doing is nothing more than the total completion of the new security measures that former Prime Minister Abe accomplished in the birth of the new security measures. It was the Kan administration that rushed around buying the Corona vaccine and steered the nuclear reactors back into operation as an energy measure. The Kishida administration’s new capitalism has done nothing yet. The party’s internal feeling is that the election cannot be fought in Prime Minister Kishida’s face. Kishida forced through an easy defense tax hike and a doubling of the budget for birthrate reduction measures that did not go through parliamentary debate. The Abe faction, the largest faction, as well as the mainstream of the party, including former secretary-general Nikai and former prime minister Kan, are concerned about the prime minister’s outburst,” said a Seiwa Council member.

Within the party, there is a growing movement to oust Kishida. Then, the “son’s lavish spending spree” came out of the woodwork.

“If you think about it, you can understand how such a story about an outing could be leaked to a weekly magazine. The current prime minister does not have the trust of those around him,” said a source in the prime minister’s office.

The Kishida administration has few allies within the party, and support for the cabinet continues to decline. Despite this, the Kishida administration is holding its nose.

This year,” he said, “we will do what we said we would do, and we will do it quietly. We must accomplish what no one else will cooperate with us. We are determined and will promote it under the leadership of the administration. I hope everyone will brace themselves and give their utmost cooperation in realizing our policies.”

I wonder what kind of view Prime Minister Kishida, who declared this to his Prime Minister’s Office staff in his New Year’s address, is looking at now.