<figure id="attachment_326071" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-326071" style="width: 1667px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="10e693ee"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/08/8e25d3649a3d8942b5c764d6d82c96fe.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-326071" class="wp-caption-text">Prime Minister Kishida was found to have &#8220;happily participated&#8221; (PHOTO: Takeshi Kinugawa)</figcaption></figure>
 A photo of the year-end party with the prime minister in it also exists&#8230;
 In late May, Shukan Bunshun (Weekly Bunshun) reported that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida&#8217;s eldest son and secretary to the prime minister, Shotaro (32), and others had a big party at the prime minister&#8217;s official residence on December 30, 2011, where they lounged on the steps of the residence. In fact, Prime Minister Kishida also attended the party and was seen in a group photo taken by the magazine, which was distributed on June 6 (ages and titles in the article are current at the time of publication).
 On December 30 of last year, 18 relatives gathered at the &#8220;grand year-end party&#8221; held at the prime minister&#8217;s official residence (Chiyoda Ward). At the center of the gathering, smiling, was Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (65) in his nightgown of sweatshirt, down vest, and bare feet.
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 When the Shukan Bunshun (weekly magazine) reported that the prime minister&#8217;s relatives, including his eldest son and secretary to the prime minister, Shotaro (32), had a big party, lying down on the steps of the official residence, the public was outraged. The prime minister, however, merely stated that he had given Shoutarou a &#8220;stern warning. Even though the opposition parties, as well as the media at home and abroad, slammed him for being &#8220;soft on his own people,&#8221; the prime minister did not budge. In fact, at a May 26 meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Councillors, the prime minister even appeared to defend his son, saying, &#8220;I also appeared at meals in my private living space and greeted him.
 This group photo is the true nature of the &#8220;discomfort&#8221; he felt. The prime minister himself, along with his wife Yuko (58), Shotaro, and others, were in the group photo, looking very pleased with themselves.
 On the day of the party, the four members of the Kishida family, including Takeo, 62, the prime minister&#8217;s brother and a businessman, and their spouses and children, gathered for a year-end party. No outsiders were allowed in, and it was truly a &#8216;family&#8217; party,&#8221; said one of the prime minister&#8217;s acquaintances.
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 On May 29, the prime minister made a hasty announcement that Shoutarou would be replaced as of June 1. According to polls conducted by Nikkei and TV TOKYO after the year-end party issue was reported, the approval rating of the Cabinet dropped by 5 points from the previous survey.
 The poll showed that the prime minister has no allies among his cunning political rivals, including former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, 74, with whom he can confide his feelings. That is why Shoutarou&#8217;s problems were not blamed even though they were frequently discussed. This time, too, the prime minister thought that he could make it go away by delaying the investigation, but it has affected his approval rating. Prime Minister Kishida is concerned not with policy but with approval ratings, and with the July election in mind, he has come to the conclusion that he wants to eliminate any &#8216;cause for concern&#8217; even if it is his beloved son.
 The maintenance of the prime minister&#8217;s official residence is reportedly paid for with about 160 million yen a year in public funds. Journalist Tetsuo Suzuki said.
 The residence is within easy reach of the prime minister&#8217;s official residence in the event of an emergency, and cabinet meetings and prime ministerial press conferences are held there. It is not &#8216;just a house,&#8217; but the center of Japan&#8217;s crisis management. It is definitely not a place to hold a year-end party for one&#8217;s family. Furthermore, it is too late to fire Shoutarou after realizing that it would affect his approval rating. It is not only a matter of Shoutarou&#8217;s awareness, but also of the prime minister&#8217;s crisis management skills.
 When we asked Kishida&#8217;s office about the year-end party at his official residence, the response was as follows.
 I asked Kishida&#8217;s office about the year-end party at his official residence, and they responded as follows: &#8220;As for your question, I have already explained it to you at the Diet and in hanging interviews.

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<h3>In his defense, he said the photo was taken &#8220;in a private place.&#8221;&#8230;</h3>
 On June 2, Prime Minister Kishida was asked by reporters whether it was appropriate to take such a picture at his official residence,
 He replied, &#8220;There are two spaces in the official residence, a private space and a public space that serves as a guest of honor, and I was sitting with my relatives in the private space. I don&#8217;t think there is anything inappropriate in the public space.
 He stated. In response, Kenta Izumi, 49, a representative of the Democratic Party of Japan&#8217;s Constitutional Democratic Party, said,
 The fact that the images were leaked is a big problem,&#8221; he said.
 He noted. My son&#8217;s big hilarious photo is out because it&#8217;s &#8220;public space. However, as long as the prime minister&#8217;s official residence is financed with 160 million yen a year in public funds, it is considered &#8220;public space&#8221; even if it is used privately by the prime minister&#8230;.
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 On July 31, Prime Minister Kishida&#8217;s fund management organization held a political fund party at a hotel in Hiroshima City. Prime Minister Kishida was absent, but Mr. Shotaro attended. Regarding his resignation in June as secretary for political affairs,
 I have caused him trouble. I would like to start over from the beginning.
 He expressed regret for his resignation in June, but his words were met with a chorus of &#8220;I will start from zero, or even from the bottom,
 He said on social networking sites, &#8220;You&#8217;re starting from zero, or even negative.
 No more. No more heredity in politics.
 No more heredity in politics. Since the beginning of this year, the Kishida administration has been in the midst of a negative chain of events, including the &#8220;Bunshun-bombing&#8221; of Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara (53), a series of problems related to the issue of negative number cards, and allegations that Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Masato Akimoto (47) has been provided with opaque funds by a wind power generation company. At this rate, it is doubtful whether the administration will last the year&#8230;. Shoutarou may not even make it to the starting point, let alone start from scratch.
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<figure id="attachment_314536" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-314536" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6120bcae"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/06/012a024a0337e05c7ca9b3a7ccdf3f36.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-314536" class="wp-caption-text"> The prime minister and his wife Yuko sit in the center of the front row. Mr. Shoutarou (back left) and other relatives in the back row are the people in the &#8220;big splashy photo.</figcaption></figure>

 On December 30, 2011, Shukan Bunshun (Weekly Bunshun) reported that Shoutaro (32), who was Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's secretary, and other members of his party were enjoying themselves in his official residence. What did Prime Minister Kishida say after the magazine's report...

 The "After" of the Scoop

The &#8220;After&#8221; of the Exclusive Scoop on Prime Minister Kishida&#8217;s &#8220;Happy Participation&#8221; in the Year-End Party at His Residence

The “After” of the Exclusive Scoop on Prime Minister Kishida’s “Happy Participation” in the Year-End Party at His Residence

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