Suga Stays in 2 Nights in a Row, Following Criticism for End-of-year Party

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:59 JST, December 19, 2020

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga spent Friday evening at the Tokyo dormitory for House of Representatives members instead of dining out.

It is believed to be the second day in a row the prime minister has canceled dinner plans, following criticism he received from the ruling and opposition parties for dining in a group with five or more people on Monday, amid a spike in novel coronavirus cases.

“[Suga] can obtain various kinds of information without having meals [with others]. I’d like the prime minister to gather information while avoiding infections,” Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Norihisa Tamura said at a press conference on Friday.