Back taxes are “culture”! The political fund party “back money issue” was exposed two years ago… What does the new director Oshima think now?
The scene of a political fund party ticket exchange depicted in the film “Kagawa 1-Ku
Five factions of the Liberal Democratic Party have been criminally accused of underreporting party income, and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is investigating the matter. It all started when Professor Hiroyuki Kamiwaki, a professor at Kobe Gakuin University, filed criminal charges last year after the allegations were reported in “Shimbun Aka Hata” (Red Flag).
This report reminded me of a scene from the documentary film “Kagawa 1-Ku” (’21) concerning the political fund party of Takuya Hirai, the first minister of digital technology. It was information from a certain accuser – a request to purchase party tickets for 10 people at 20,000 yen each, with only 3 people attending the party and the remaining 7 originally to be donated.
It was Professor Kamiwaki, who had been consulted in this process and appeared in the film, who became the center of attention this time.
At the time, he made comments such as, “I thought this kind of thing would happen somewhere, but I was surprised to see such a blatant request for writing, and if this is not a story about one company but a series of stories, it would be a big problem. ……
How does the new director of “Kagawa Ward 1,” Mr. Oshima, view the back-funding issue now? We asked him.
The indictment was dropped due to insufficient suspicion.
I think what I covered and reported in the film was not so much about factions, but rather about the “one-man slush fund scandal” involving Mr. Hirai.
After that, Mr. Kamiwaki made his own accusation against Mr. Hirai, unrelated to the film, and as a result, the indictment was dropped due to insufficient suspicion. I don’t know what the reason for the insufficient suspicion was, but that is how it happened. When I heard about the Abe and Nikkai factions, it was originally a terrible thing, but I wasn’t really surprised.
The forms are different, but the root of what they are doing is the same: selling lots of party tickets and putting them in their pockets, so I felt it was not surprising.
When we saw “Kagawa Ward 1,” we were so shocked that we immediately contacted FRIDAY Digital to request an interview. At the same time, we expected it to be a big problem, but what was the reaction to the film?
The scene in the movie was a surprise to some people, of course, but the movie as a whole is based on the story of Junya Ogawa’s long-cherished wish to win the election in his constituency and is filled with various stories, so there were various reactions to the movie as a whole.
However, Daisuke Tsuda recently tweeted in X that “The LDP’s slush fund issue is sure to cause a firestorm in the future, but I have a strong feeling that it is the perfect ‘answer to the LDP’s money-laden election campaign as depicted in director Arata Oshima’s documentary film “Kagawa Ward 1″” (December 2, 2009). (December 2, 2008).
I don’t think it can be broadcast on TV, but I would certainly like to make it widely available to the public.
What were the impressions of those in the news media who saw “Kagawa 1-Ku” about director Oshima’s decision to present this issue, which should have been pursued by the press, in the form of a “film”?
There were some who said that it was, in a sense, an amazing piece of investigative reporting. I myself am not an expert in investigative journalism, so I approached them to see if they would be willing to put up a joint front, but since it was only one case and not a big story (7 out of 200,000 yen = 140,000 yen), I wondered if they felt it was not really worth reporting.
Only a reporter from the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper in Takamatsu, my hometown, was a little interested in the story and was willing to do some work, but no one else was interested in doing an investigative report.
The smartest thing to do is not to say anything…
The film also showed the reality of elections for companies and organizations that vote before the deadline. Perhaps it is curious that there were no protests or any kind of movement against the many inconveniences for the LDP that were shown.
Nothing happened. In addition to the sequel to “Why You Can’t Be Prime Minister,” I also wanted to depict the strength of the LDP.
I tried to depict the LDP’s strength in a positive sense, that is, its traditional presence in the local community, as well as the negative aspects, such as money problems and the reality of the company-organized forced voting system of advance voting.
Some people, including our staff, wondered if it was safe to do so, because the negative aspects might have violated the law.
However, the lawyer who supervised the legal supervision said, “Even if we were sued, it would never happen. Even if we were sued, we would never lose, and the smartest thing for them to do is not to say anything.
For example, it is not the influence of numbers, such as being broadcast on NHK news, being on the front page of a national newspaper, or being bombarded by Bunshun. Documentary films are a medium the size of 20,000 to 30,000 people, even if they are a hit, so the smartest thing to do is to ignore them. In fact, they are being ignored.
The “LDP’s strength” is its true nature.
What many people had somehow thought was possible came to light after Professor Kamiwaki’s persistent request for disclosure of information and accusations.
I hope so. I would like to see the pus come out, and I think the public’s voice is still very loud. I don’t mean to sound like a haughty Heike, but the Abe faction has been enjoying a kind of “one power” and enjoying the springtime of its own life, while the opposition parties have been weak, and I think they have been licking the public’s lips. I wonder if this will be an opportunity for public opinion to rise and for the political world to be purified.
However, Director Oshima says, “I am half hopeful and half anxious. What is his intention?
I feel that Japanese voters have not yet given up their sense of security in the LDP government. I wonder if that will ever change.
From there, he explained with this example.
Mr. Hiroaki Sakamoto, the secretary of Senator Junya Ogawa, was originally a LDP-affiliated secretary. He happened to lose his workplace when the DPJ came to power and joined Mr. Ogawa, and at first he saw Mr. Ogawa as a blue-collar politician as well.
He said, “There are very few politicians like Ogawa who are serious about the world and people’s interests,” and “There are a few in the Communist Party, but most politicians only talk about themselves, power, and other nice things.
As a secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party, he has seen such politicians. But the weakness of those who are serious about serving the world and people is that they are in the minority. The LDP is a political party that can touch the feelings of “ordinary people. When I asked him what he meant by “ordinary people,” he replied, “In the extreme, people who want money for fun.
In other words, the LDP government’s strength is that it can enrich companies through public works projects, etc. I don’t want to think so. I don’t like to think so, but if “people who want easy money” really are ordinary people, the majority of them might think that even back taxes are …… if they can get their money back.
If that logic is correct, then I even get the feeling that back taxes will eventually be forgiven. I wonder if that is part of the reason why the LDP has been doing bad things for so long. For example, sexual harassment. For example, sexual harassment. Of course, severe sexual harassment is wrong, but there are people who say that a little bit of sexual harassment is fine. I can’t help but feel that such people might want to do the same thing themselves.
Back taxes are “culture”!
This case is naturally a “politician’s problem,” but it is also a test of the voters, according to Director Oshima. He also spoke of the following perspective.
For example, former Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Suzuki referred to the money being paid in this case as “culture. I can imagine that it must have become a kind of culture or business practice, not only for the culture of the factions, but also for the people on the side who bought the party tickets. I hope this investigation will change that, even if it is a slow step, like taking three steps forward and two steps back.
And since Mr. Kishida must be in a very tight corner this time, including his slumping approval rating, I hope that he will first do something to his own disadvantage–revise the Political Funds Control Law–in order to raise his immediate approval rating or whatever it may be. I would also really like to see Dr. Kamiwaki on the third-party committee. I would love to see a good political landscape.”
For the official website of the film “Kagawa 1st District,” click here.
Interview and text by： Wakako Takou
