Political Responsibility Evades All as ‘Seiwa-kai’ Holds Final Meeting: Yoshiro Mori’s Alarming Agenda
The chairperson should resign from the Diet.
“He should act in a way that will be communicated to the public.”
He was not indicted on legal charges, but he needs to be held politically accountable.”
February 1, LDP headquarters, No. 701. The “last lunch” prepared for the Seiwa-kai was the “Ningyocho Imahan Sukiyaki Bento,” a long-established sukiyaki restaurant that has been in business since the Meiji era (1868-1912). However, none of the Diet members would have enjoyed the bento.
The Seiwa-kai (Abe faction), which decided to dissolve its faction due to the issue of slush funds from political fund parties, held its last general meeting of lawmakers. Young and middle-ranking members of the Seiwa-kai came down hard on the executives sitting opposite them.
Among them, the most pointed criticism came from the chairman, Tate Shioya (73). Kenta Wakabayashi (60), Hideo Onishi (77), and Nori Sasaki (49), all members of the Diet, held Shiotani responsible as described at the beginning of the meeting. Mr. Shiotani, seated in the middle of the executive’s seat, looked pale, and did his best to reply, “We will take this very seriously and make the appropriate decision,” and “Only after the party’s hearing investigation is completed. Former policy chief Kōichi Hagiuda (60), former METI Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura (61), and former Minister of Public Prosecutions Hirokazu Matsuno (61) looked down and did not speak.
Tomomi Inada, 64, former defense minister, said in an attempt to rebuke them, “It is not the fault of any one individual, but rather the fault of the Kiyokazu government.
The Seiwa-kai should take measures to deal with this problem, not as the responsibility of any one individual, but as a problem for the Seiwa-kai as a whole.
Former Seijiro Eto, 82, former vice chairman of the House of Representatives and a top advisor to the Seiwa-kai, offered a helping hand.
It is not a matter for the chairperson alone to take responsibility.
A member of the Diet who participated in the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “It is not a matter for the chairperson alone to take responsibility.
The three who pursued Mr. Shiotani are also close to Yoshiro Mori, 86, the chairman of the board. Mori’s scenario is to place the blame on Shioya alone and offer him up as a human sacrifice so that the five members (former Senate Secretary General Hiroshige Seko, former policy chief Kōichi Hagiuda, former Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Matsuno, former METI Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, and former National Diet Relations Committee Chairman Takeshi Takagi) will not be adversely affected.
If the five members are unharmed, they probably believe that there will be a chance for a revival someday, including that of Chairman Mori. The composition of the situation is that Mr. Eto, who has been stared down by Chairman Mori and continually removed from important positions, guessed it and took checks and balances.”
On the same day, it was also decided to establish a “liquidation management committee” of Abe Faction executives to proceed with procedures for dissolving the political organization. Under the Liquidation Management Committee, a team of legislators qualified as lawyers and certified public accountants will take charge of the practical work.
Some suggested that the remaining funds after the dissolution, excluding court costs for the indicted treasurer, be donated to the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake or to the Red Cross.
In his closing remarks, Takeshi Takagi, 68, former chairman of the National Diet Committee, who sat beside Shioya, concluded, “The Seiwa-kai has been dissolved!
With this, the Seiwa-kai is dissolved!”
