Prime Minister Abe has had his share of scandals. His latest one, centering on the government’s traditional cherry blossom viewing party (ๆกใ่ฆใไผ; sakura o miru kai), is shaping up to be another sour footnote in his political career.
We explored this issue in-depth when the public accused Abe of rising costs and using the taxpayer-funded event for political clout. The government continues to do a tacky job handling inquiries from politicians, journalists, and outraged citizens. The call for transparency has been largely shunned by Abe’s administration.
Now, Abe is facing criticism for functions his support group holds on the eve of the main event. The leading political faction usually hosts a dinner the night before the official cherry blossom viewing party; the Hotel New Otani and the ANA InterContinental Hotel have both served as venues in the past. What Abe really doesn’t need right now is being found guilty of misappropriation of funds. Unfortunately for him, Hotel ANA’s response to an opposition member’s inquiry into their billing practices contradicts Abe’s statements.
Where Are the Receipts?
Abe was grilled by opposition lawmakers earlier this month during the Lower House Budget Committee on February 3rd. His vague answers did little to appease those present. Many members of opposition parties ended up boycotting the session, demanding Abe present proof of his statements in writing.
On February 17th, Abe showed up to the Budget Committee sessions with his “proof” — detailed statements and receipts from ANA Hotel, the site of 2019’s pre-party shindig. According to him, ANA Hotel set the attendee fee at 5,000 yen per head, not Abe’s office, and collected the fees from the individual guests. Abe’s office never saw that money and therefore didn’t include it in their funding reports. Abe also said ANA Hotel staff didn’t send his office detailed statements.
Then Tsujimoto Kiyomi of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan played her card. She said she contacted the ANA Hotel herself to confirm Abeโs statements. ANA Hotel replied that they don’t collect fees from guests for attending events held on the premises, they never issue blank receipts with no addressee, and they do in fact send out detailed statements to customers.
Abe tried to backtrack and say the hotel only replied to Tsujimoto’s inquiry with a general pat response. Basically, he implied his pre-party dinner functions were an exception. But another statement by ANA Hotel effectively shot that down.
Nikkan Sports and the Mainichi Shinbun, the latter which has been especially quick to attack Abeโs obfuscation around the issue, contacted the hotel for clarification. A spokesperson for the hotel said there were “no exceptions” to their policies.
Honestly, Abe really should have seen this coming. How could he not foresee someone from the opposition contacting ANA Hotel for clarification? Abe needs to learn to get his stories straight. Considering his track record, though, that’s unlikely to happen. Whether the next cherry blossom viewing party will be outright canceled because of this remains to be seen.
