As long as the government has decided to reexamine the criteria for holding an event that caused doubts, cancellation of the event in the next fiscal year is inevitable. The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must shape up.
The government has announced its decision to call off a "cherry-blossom viewing party," an annual event hosted by the prime minister, next spring. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that the government "wants to study measures to clarify standards for inviting guests and make the selection process transparent."
The purpose of the party is to invite people from various sectors and thank them for their achievements and contributions.
According to event details, those qualified for invitation are Imperial family members, ambassadors of foreign countries, leaders of both chambers of the Diet, lawmakers and governors, plus "the people including those representing various sectors." Expenses for the event are financed from an annual national budget.
The event's scale has been expanded under the Abe Cabinet. The number of participants, which stood at about 13,700 five years ago, has risen to about 18,200 this year. The amount of the budgeted expenditure also went up from about 30 million yen to about 55 million yen. These indicate that the number of guests invited as "those including representatives" has swelled.
Opposition parties point out that Prime Minister Abe has invited many people including those from his supporters' group in his constituency and strongly criticize this as "utilizing public events for private purposes."
Denying his involvement in the selection of invited guests, Abe explained that "there are cases in which executive members of local residents' associations and PTA overlap with those belonging to my supporters' group."
It is problematic if it became ambiguous for Abe to separate his public and private affairs. He cannot evade being criticized as having lacked moderation. The laxity deriving from the long running of his government is likely behind this. Abe should maintain self-discipline in steering his government.
The Cabinet Office replied that it had discarded a list of guests invited this year. It is necessary to examine whether the discarding was appropriate from the viewpoint of the administration of public documents.
Abe's supporters' group has held meetings on the eve of cherry-blossom viewing parties. The opposition camp has asserted that the meetings were not mentioned in the political funds report of the political group represented by Abe, arguing it as problematic. Accountability will be called for on the part of the prime minister.
The predecessor of the cherry blossom viewing party was the similar one hosted by the Imperial family. After the end of World War II, the event was changed into one in which a prime minister invites guests, starting in 1952. The event has been held every spring, except in 2011 when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred and other times. The party was held in 2010 under the administration of former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of the Democratic Party of Japan.
The event has the significance of lauding the people of the times who are active in such fields as culture and sports.
The government sets quotas for the recommendation of guests by the prime minister, chief and deputy chief cabinet secretaries, plus ruling parties.
The government is called on to make a drastic review of such things as the range and number of invited guests and budget size, without being bound by long-standing practice, thereby dispelling distrust from the public.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 14, 2019)
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