Japan PM fires son for partying
32-year-old pays for revelry with relatives at official residence
In one image, the son and about 10 other people are depicted standing on a wide staircase in a style ‘reminiscent of the commemorative photos taken by new Cabinet members’.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida removed his oldest son, Shotaro, as a government aide after a magazine published photos of Shotaro and relatives posing in the PM’s official residence at an end-of-year party.
Kishida said on Monday that his 32-year-old son would be replaced after the Shukan Bunshun magazine published the images, which were taken in December, last week.
One photo showed an attendee lying across grand redcarpeted stairs, while another showed two people posing behind an official dais with the prime minister’s seal, with one person making a peace sign.
In one other image, the son and about 10 other people are depicted standing on a wide staircase in a style “reminiscent of the commemorative photos taken by new Cabinet members at the time of the formation of the Cabinet,” the magazine wrote. It did not disclose how it obtained the images, though it said details about the party came from an acquaintance of Shotaro Kishida.
Taking responsibility
“His actions last year in a public space were inappropriate and I decided to replace him to have him take responsibility,” the prime minister said. “Of course, the responsibility for his appointment lies with me and I take the issue seriously.”
The government has also said his son will give up severance pay and bonuses.
The residence is a public building designated for official business and state functions as well as a home. But many Japanese voters appear to be opposed to the Kishida family hosting year-end parties for their relatives there, according to a poll by the centre-left Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
Fumio Kishida, a conservative leader whose poll numbers have been relatively buoyant until the latest incident, was accused by opposition lawmakers of nepotism in October when he appointed his son as a policy secretary. In January, he defended his son against allegations he had used an official car to go sightseeing and shopping while travelling abroad.