Politics & Government

Ex-PM Advisor Confesses to Lobbying over Fairness Rules

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Sanae Takaichi

Jiji Press

10:44 JST, March 6, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A former special adviser to the prime minister has admitted that while in office he put pressure on the communications ministry over the interpretation of political impartiality stipulated by the Broadcasting Law.

In a Twitter post on Friday, Yosuke Isozaki, a former House of Councillors lawmaker, said that it is “true that I exchanged opinions with the ministry over the interpretation of political impartiality when I was an adviser” to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Such pressure is mentioned in alleged internal ministry documents obtained by Hiroyuki Konishi of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

At an upper house committee meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the accuracy of the documents is “not clear.”

Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was communications minister at the time, rejected the documents as “ totally fabricated.” She indicated that she would resign as a lawmaker if the documents were found to be authentic.