Japanese Prime Minister Suga Embarrassed by Abe Misconduct Allegations Under Prosecutor Investigation

"Will refrain from answering" repeated 25 times

▲Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister of Japan [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister of Japan, is cornered over allegations of misconduct involving former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. At the time, Suga, who was Chief Cabinet Secretary, consistently denied knowledge of the series of allegations and defended Abe. However, now that the prosecution's investigation is intensifying, he finds himself in a difficult situation.

Japan's opposition parties are launching an offensive, demanding that former Prime Minister Abe appear before the National Diet regarding suspicions that the political organization 'Shinzo Abe Supporters Association,' managed by Abe's secretary and under investigation by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, had its hotel dinner expenses covered by Abe's side annually from 2013 to 2019, inviting supporters and voters once each year.

It is reported that the dinner participants paid membership fees amounting to less than half of the usual meal cost, raising suspicions that Abe's side covered the shortfall.

However, Abe claimed, "The money paid by participants was collected by office staff and handed over to the hotel," or "We did not reimburse the costs, nor did we receive an itemized statement from the hotel."

The prosecution summoned and questioned about 20 related individuals, including Abe's secretary, based on dinner receipts and testimonies.

Meanwhile, media reports have emerged stating that Abe's side covered 9.16 million yen (approximately 97.05 million won) during this period, sparking controversy that Abe lied.

Suga, who defended Abe as Chief Cabinet Secretary at the time, now faces a difficult situation.

According to the Asahi Shimbun, Prime Minister Suga was questioned about the series of allegations at the Budget Committee but refused to answer 25 times, stating "I will refrain from answering" or "I am not in a position to respond."

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun editorial on the 26th commented that Abe's responses in the Diet differ from testimonies of individuals involved in the event where part of the meal expenses was reimbursed, stating, "Abe has the responsibility to investigate the series of circumstances and politely explain to the public."

On that day, five out of six major daily newspapers published editorials emphasizing the need for proper fact-finding or explanations, or that former Prime Minister Abe should take responsibility.

However, the possibility of former Prime Minister Abe being indicted over this issue appears low.

A lawyer with a background as a prosecutor told Nihon Keizai Shimbun, "Former Prime Minister Abe claims he was unaware of the reimbursement of meal expenses because he received false explanations from his secretary. If that is the case, the likelihood of Abe being indicted is low."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.