Why Major Newspapers Ignore the Ministry of Finance Dissolution Protest

A major company I was doing business with suddenly said, “We can no longer do business with you.”

The usually mild-mannered Japanese people finally seem to have had enough.

“Try living on 60,000 yen a month! The people are angry!”

“Abolish the consumption tax!”

“Zaimusho (Ministry of Sin)”

On February 24, a crowd gathered in front of the Ministry of Finance, voicing their anger through loudspeakers and placards. The “Dismantle the Ministry of Finance” protests, which have been occurring frequently since November last year, have now grown to over 1,000 participants.

Influencers like Yuta Misaki, known as the “Aojiru Prince,” also joined the protest. On February 24, he uploaded a video titled “Infiltrating the Ministry of Finance Dismantling Protest That TV Won’t Report” on his channel, showing demonstrations that took place across Japan, including in front of the Ministry of Finance in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, from February 21 to 24.

However, on February 27, he released another video titled “After Uploading the Ministry of Finance Dismantling Protest Video, I Faced Pressure.”

“The day after I posted that video, a major company I had been doing business with suddenly told me, ‘We can no longer work with you.’ I was honestly shocked and extremely frustrated,” he revealed, though he did not name the company.

Meanwhile, Hiroyuki Nishimura, also known as “Hiroyuki,” argued on X that shouting at government buildings was pointless.

“If you really want to change the Ministry of Finance, you should be shouting in front of Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato’s house or calling up tax offices affiliated with the Chinese Tax Accountants’ Political Federation, which supports his campaign. Unless you create a situation where the person with the power to change things needs to change them, nothing will change.”