Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, is grilled by the opposition over a scandal involving his predecessor, Shinzo Abe. (Image via DW)

Pressure over Suga on Abe's scandal

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister (PM) of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, faced criticisms and grilling by the opposition lawmakers over the allegations that Suga had stated inaccurate claims in parliament last year on a potential breach of laws on gift-giving by the Suga's predecessor, Shinzo Abe.

Abe once again was caught under fire in a possible breach of funding and election laws when sources leaked the fact that his administration had covered the costs of the 2018 dinner party for his supporter. In the parliament last year, Abe denied the claim. It is known that Japanese politicians are not allowed to provide anything that can be classified as a gift. The rule caused a cabinet minister to resign in 2014 after distributing paper fans during summer.

Previously known as Abe's right-hand man for his 2012 - 2020 tenure, Suga was also allegedly involved in Abe's scandal. When being asked about Abe's inconsistent statement in the parliament, Suga declined to comment further, as he said that the matter is still under investigation. While Abe denied the claim last year, on Tuesday, Abe stated that he was aware of the allegation and his office will cooperate with the Tokyo prosecutor handling the matter. Yet, the former PM, resigning in September due to his health, did not clarify any further.

One of the opposition lawmaking parties, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, stated on Tuesday to the NHK that the fact by the media has proven Abe's lies in the parliament. Leader of the party, Yukio Edano, called out Suga that he should also be held responsible.

Local media uncovered the incident by a source close to the Abe where Abe's office covered some 8 million yen over the last 5 years of his PM tenure to holding dinner parties at hotels for his supporters. On Monday, the media stated that the Tokyo prosecutors were checking the documents, suggesting that Abe's office could have subsidized the receptions. The prosecutors also held a voluntary questioning of Abe's former aides.

Source: https://bit.ly/2KwP4L9