Sexual Scandal Shakes Japanese Government
TOKYO (WSJ) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, reeling from record-low polls, suffered a new setback on the eve of a trip to the U.S., with the Finance Ministry opening an investigation into sexual-harassment allegations against a top official.
Abe is set to depart Tuesday for a summit meeting with President Donald Trump in Florida, but he faces a mounting challenge to remain in power past a party leadership election in September.
Allegations of cronyism and government cover-ups, including at the Finance Ministry, have dogged Abe for months, forcing him to spend much of his time facing questions over his conduct in parliament.
Abe says he and other government officials have done nothing wrong, but public opinion polls show an erosion of trust in the administration.
One survey conducted over the weekend by Nippon TV found support for Abe’s cabinet had fallen to 26.7%, the lowest level reported by the broadcaster since the prime minister took office for a second time in 2012.
Almost half of those who said they didn’t support Abe’s cabinet said they couldn’t trust him personally. His critics, including within his own party, say he is too focused on personal goals such as altering the nation’s constitution. Opposition leaders accuse him of providing favors for friends, charges he denies.
Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said over the weekend it was unlikely Abe, a former protégé, would survive the party leadership poll later this year. If he runs and loses, he’ll have to step down as prime minister.
A new problem for Abe surfaced last week when a weekly magazine reported that Administrative Vice Finance Minister Junichi Fukuda asked to kiss and touch the breasts of a female reporter while drinking with her at a bar. The reporter wasn’t named.
The magazine also released an audio recording of a man asking the same questions in a noisy bar-like setting. On Monday, Fukuda denied the allegations and said he didn’t recognize the audio recording.
But in an unusual step, the ministry said it had appointed four outside lawyers to investigate the case and asked female reporters who might have had experiences with Fukuda like those detailed in the magazine article to provide testimony for the investigation.
Abe is set to depart Tuesday for a summit meeting with President Donald Trump in Florida, but he faces a mounting challenge to remain in power past a party leadership election in September.
Allegations of cronyism and government cover-ups, including at the Finance Ministry, have dogged Abe for months, forcing him to spend much of his time facing questions over his conduct in parliament.
Abe says he and other government officials have done nothing wrong, but public opinion polls show an erosion of trust in the administration.
One survey conducted over the weekend by Nippon TV found support for Abe’s cabinet had fallen to 26.7%, the lowest level reported by the broadcaster since the prime minister took office for a second time in 2012.
Almost half of those who said they didn’t support Abe’s cabinet said they couldn’t trust him personally. His critics, including within his own party, say he is too focused on personal goals such as altering the nation’s constitution. Opposition leaders accuse him of providing favors for friends, charges he denies.
Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said over the weekend it was unlikely Abe, a former protégé, would survive the party leadership poll later this year. If he runs and loses, he’ll have to step down as prime minister.
A new problem for Abe surfaced last week when a weekly magazine reported that Administrative Vice Finance Minister Junichi Fukuda asked to kiss and touch the breasts of a female reporter while drinking with her at a bar. The reporter wasn’t named.
The magazine also released an audio recording of a man asking the same questions in a noisy bar-like setting. On Monday, Fukuda denied the allegations and said he didn’t recognize the audio recording.
But in an unusual step, the ministry said it had appointed four outside lawyers to investigate the case and asked female reporters who might have had experiences with Fukuda like those detailed in the magazine article to provide testimony for the investigation.