Tokyo International News Agency

The controversy surrounding Prime Minister Takaichi's explanation for deleting a column section from her official website (HP) is escalating. Online, numerous voices are pointing out inconsistencies with her past remarks and a perceived lack of accountability, leading to a serious questioning of her trustworthiness. In a plenary session of the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Takaichi stated the reason for deleting her website's column section was: "Since becoming Prime Minister, I haven't had the time to write columns, and as it hadn't been updated for a long time, I deleted the column section." This explanation suggests the section was removed due to a sustained lack of updates resulting from her busy schedule. However, this explanation has drawn widespread criticism for directly contradicting her statement during a House of Councillors Budget Committee session last November. At that time, when asked about the column, the Prime Minister explicitly de...

Sanae Takaichi's absence from a major pre-election debate program for the House of Representatives election has ignited a significant debate on social media. While criticisms of her having "fled" from the debate have poured in, Prime Minister Takaichi explained that she prioritized her medical condition and campaign speeches. Although the ruling party achieved a landslide victory in the election, this issue has raised questions about politicians' accountability and the nature of their dialogue with the public. The controversy began when Prime Minister Takaichi was absent from an NHK debate program scheduled just before the House of Representatives election. On social media, numerous voices severely criticized her stance, with comments such as, "She tells the public 'you must fight until the end,' yet she flees from a debate program herself," and "She escaped 'Sunday Debate.'" Some posts even connected her absence to other alleged sc...

New developments have emerged regarding Sanae Takaichi's explanation for her absence from a Sunday debate program. It was initially reported that the Prime Minister had been adjusting her schedule to appear on the show, but information surfaced suggesting that the Chief Cabinet Secretary, concerned about her finger symptoms, urged her to prioritize treatment and arranged for a substitute. In response, the phrase "Chief Cabinet Secretary's fault" trended on social media, sparking a deluge of criticism that the Prime Minister was attempting to shift blame. This explanation was reportedly conveyed through interviews with journalist Shinichiro Suda. While the Prime Minister's side maintains that the Chief Cabinet Secretary acted out of concern for her health, numerous voices on social media questioned the claim, with comments like "Really? Now it's the Chief Cabinet Secretary's fault?" Posts criticizing the Prime Minister's stance piled up, using...

A remark by Minister Sanae Takaichi that she 'started a study session at 3 AM' has sparked a major debate on social media regarding adherence to the 'two-day prior notice rule' for parliamentary questions and the resulting overwork problem for bureaucrats. Many users are voicing strong criticism against opposition parties, particularly the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP), for failing to observe this rule. Many commenters point out that Minister Takaichi's early morning preparations are a direct consequence of the CDP and JCP delaying their question notices. Economic critic Tetsuya Watanabe posted, 'The CDP and JCP are not adhering to the two-day prior notice rule for parliamentary questions, which is causing unnecessary overtime and harsh working conditions not just for the Prime Minister but also for bureaucrats.' Calls for the defeat of the involved politicians are also emerging. Furthermore, some users...