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If Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who has taken a tough stance on the political funds issue, continues to defend his own misconduct, it will be a long way to dispel the distrust the public has in politics.
If Ishiba admits he has a moral responsibility, he needs to demonstrate it through concrete actions.
Regarding the issue of the distribution of gift vouchers worth ¥100,000 each to newly elected House of Representatives lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Ishiba apologized at a meeting of the Budget Committee at the House of Councillors, saying: “I was not in line with public sentiment. I apologize for that.”
While explaining the distribution of the gift vouchers did not constitute “donations related to political activities” that are prohibited by the Political Funds Control Law, Ishiba said, “I have a moral responsibility, and this deviated from socially accepted norms.”
Ishiba seems to be trying to draw the curtain on the issue by emphasizing that he regrets the distribution of the gift vouchers but that it is not illegal.
However, at last week’s Budget Committee meeting, Ishiba stated that when he was younger, he also received vouchers from senior party Diet members and “went to a travel agency and got airline tickets.”
It could be said that Ishiba admitted that regardless of the intentions of the people who give gift vouchers, the recipients may use them for political activities. Besides, if there is no problem with “money for souvenirs,” similar behavior could be rampant within the party.
Ishiba’s words and deeds largely deviate from his past behavior.
In last year’s lower house election, Ishiba did not endorse 12 individuals as official party candidates, including those who belonged to the former Abe faction, who were accused of violating the law. In the investigation by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office’s special investigation squad, it was found that there were no grounds for charging the 12 people. However, Ishiba did not let the issue end with the prosecutors’ handling of it but strictly pursued their moral responsibility.
This year, LDP upper house lawmakers who had been involved in the politics and money issue gave their explanations one after another at the Deliberative Council on Political Ethics. This is because information spread within the party that attendance at the council was apparently a condition of being endorsed as official party candidates for the upper house election this summer.
However, when Ishiba was asked by opposition parties to attend the council over the distribution of the gift vouchers, he only gave a vague answer, saying, “If there is any doubt, please ask me about it again.”
While taking harsh measures against others, Ishiba tries to get away with only a verbal apology for his own actions. Such inconsistencies in words and deeds and sophistry have led to a sense of distrust among the public. The large drops in his Cabinet’s approval ratings in various surveys are a clear indication of this.
Some Diet members close to the prime minister defended Ishiba, as they say the distribution of gift vouchers to young lawmakers has been a customary practice for previous prime ministers and it is not a problem unique to Ishiba.
Even if this is true, it is quite surprising that Ishiba, at a time when the LDP is in dire straits over the issue of politics and money, showed a lack of awareness as he distributed gift vouchers with no sense of compunction.
