Tokyo International News Agency

During the House of Representatives Budget Committee session on the 4th, opposition lawmakers fiercely grilled Prime Minister Takaichi over allegations that her campaign was involved in mass-posting smear videos. Shinichi Isa, a lawmaker from the centrist reformist group, pressed the Prime Minister to confirm whether a voice in an audio recording—allegedly showing an exchange between the video creator and Takaichi's local secretary—belonged to her secretary, having submitted the question in advance. However, Prime Minister Takaichi refused to verify the audio, claiming she "did not want to become a paid subscriber" to the media outlet. This response has triggered a torrent of criticism both within the Diet and on social media, with critics calling it "contempt of parliament" and an "unprecedented excuse." "Saw it at 3:30 AM," "Didn't want to pay for a subscription" The focus of the questioning was audio data released by the prom...

A remark by the chairperson of the Diet's Budget Committee to an opposition lawmaker – “Manage your own time allocation” – has caused a significant stir on social media. With only a short time remaining for questioning, the chairperson's self-responsibility response to a request for the Prime Minister to answer has led to a flurry of diverse opinions from both ruling and opposition parties. The issue arose when an opposition lawmaker attempted to question the Prime Minister about