Japan: PM Sacks Son After Party at Official Residence

Facts

• On Monday, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida said his eldest son would resign from his position as executive policy secretary after photos emerged of him using Kishida's official residence to host a private party.¹
• The leaked photos, taken at a year-end party in 2022, show attendees posing and imitating cabinet ministers on the symbolically important red-carpeted stairs with Shotaro Kishida at the centre — a position reserved for the prime minister.²
• Justifying his decision to fire his son, Kishida admitted that, 'the responsibility for [Shotaro's] appointment lies with me,' adding that his son's behavior and actions had been 'inappropriate' considering his position as a political aide.³
• Shotaro is set to be replaced by Kishida's long-time personal aide Takayoshi Yamamoto on Thursday.⁴
• In January, Shotaro was reprimanded for using embassy vehicles for private use and buying souvenirs for cabinet members at luxury department stores during international visits.⁵
• Kishida faces accusations of nepotism over his appointment of Shotaro as executive secretary last October. However, the Japanese government insists that Shotaro was hired for his 'personality and insight.'⁶

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²Abc news, ³Time, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵NBC and ⁶South china morning post.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The indian express. It is regrettable that Shotaro is facing such an unjustifiably harsh punishment as dismissal just because he is the PM's son. Though he holds an official position, Shotaro deserves to enjoy recreational activities in his leisure time. Public representatives have private lives, and challenging the flawed expectation that politicians should homogeneously be serious careerists is not good for the health of any nation's politics.
• Narrative B, as provided by The diplomat. Shotaro's highly inappropriate and disrespectful actions show he was unfit for government from the start. Kishida's incompetent son lacked decency, but was enabled to abuse his official position by nepotism — part of Japan's feudal political culture. The country needs diverse and dynamic lawmakers, not reckless political pedigrees.
• Cynical narrative, as provided by Bloomberg. Nepotism or not, inappropriate behavior or not, Shotaro's sacking is a means of distracting the public from the government's financial irregularities, and of minimizing damage to Kishida's administration while key bills are under deliberation in parliament. Considering the jump in his approval ratings post-G7 summit performance, and a reported recent attempt on his life, this bold decision may hand the PM a moral victory amid rising anticipation of a snap election.

Predictions