Leak Reveals Premeditated Cancellation of Sanae Takaichi's NHK Debate Appearance, Igniting Public Outcry

Weekly Bunshun has reported, citing a "source close to the Prime Minister's Office," that the last-minute cancellation of Ms. Sanae Takaichi's appearance on NHK's "Sunday Debate" had been planned two days prior to the broadcast, causing a significant stir on social media.

According to Weekly Bunshun's report, Ms. Takaichi's camp had, as early as Friday, January 30th, two days before the broadcast, approached Takayuki Kobayashi, the Policy Research Council Chairman, to fill in for her. However, Mr. Kobayashi reportedly had a campaign schedule in Kyoto starting at 10:30 AM on that Sunday, making it impossible to adjust. Subsequently, Norihisa Tamura, the Acting Policy Research Council Chairman, was reportedly chosen as the replacement.

In response to this testimony from a "source close to the Prime Minister's Office," users on X (formerly Twitter) voiced a barrage of criticisms, including remarks like "mocking the public," "don't be fooled," and "isn't this a feigned illness?" Many also pointed to potential connections with past political controversies, asking, "Isn't it because she'd be grilled about the Unification Church issue?" Posts expressing concern about the gravity of the situation, such as "If this is true, it's a serious problem, isn't it?" were also widely seen.

Particularly noteworthy is that the information source is a "source close to the Prime Minister's Office." Many users speculated, "Did it leak from a government insider?" and "Perhaps trust is crumbling even among the inner circle?" suggesting potential rifts and distrust within the administration. There were also conjectures like, "Why would a government source leak this? Is she disliked?" indicating that this scoop is expected to have a considerable impact both inside and outside the administration.

Initially, health issues were cited as the reason for Ms. Takaichi's cancellation. However, following this report, severe criticisms emerged, such as "It was none other than Ms. Takaichi herself who 'exploited' illness and mocked patients." Voices of sympathy were also raised for the doctors who had defended her. Hashtags like #TakaichiRanAway and #SanaeTakaichiLiesEasily have been spreading, amplifying calls from the public for her accountability.

The Context

Sanae Takaichi is a prominent conservative politician within Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). A former Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and currently the Minister of State for Economic Security, she is known for her hawkish views and has been a frequent candidate for the party leadership, often seen as a potential future Prime Minister. NHK's "Sunday Debate" (Nichiyo Toron) is a flagship political discussion program on Japan's national public broadcaster, NHK, offering a significant platform for politicians to discuss current affairs. The original article mistakenly refers to her as "高市首相" (Takaichi Prime Minister); however, she has never held the prime ministerial post. This might reflect popular aspiration or an error. The reference to the "Unification Church issue" stems from a major political scandal that erupted after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. The assassin reportedly targeted Abe due to his perceived ties to the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (commonly known as the Unification Church), which he blamed for his family's financial ruin. This led to extensive media scrutiny of LDP politicians' connections to the organization, with many, including Ms. Takaichi, admitting to having had interactions or receiving support. This issue caused a significant public backlash and calls for greater transparency regarding politicians' links to controversial groups.