TOKYO (TR) – Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are facing intense public backlash over explosive allegations of resume fraud and illegal campaign advertising.
Evening tabloid Nikkan Gendai (May 25) is none to pleased that this is ongoing as Japan’s mainstream media remains unnaturally silent.
The scandals, which were reported by Gendai last week, have triggered a firestorm on social media.
The first major controversy centers on a 1992 interview published in the fashion magazine Classy., in which Takaichi blatantly confessed to falsifying her professional background. According to the interview, when Takaichi began working answering phones at a U.S. Democratic lawmaker’s office in 1987, she lied on her resume by claiming she was an “authority on Japanese military affairs.”
Adding to the administration’s woes are blatant violations of the Public Offices Election Law. During February’s Lower House election, five LDP candidates representing Miyagi Prefecture’s electoral districts appeared in paid internet video advertisements.
Japanese election law strictly prohibits candidates from appearing in paid video ads during an active campaign period. Investigations reveal that the LDP’s Miyagi prefectural chapter spearheaded the illegal ad placements.
Smear videos
Furthermore, weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun recently scooped that Takaichi’s camp allegedly created and disseminated malicious smear videos targeting opposition candidates during the same February election.
Despite the severity of a sitting prime minister admitting to resume fraud and a political party violating election laws, major newspapers and television networks have effectively instituted a news blackout. While brief mentions of Takaichi denying the smear video allegations have aired, no major outlet has conducted investigative reporting into the claims.
The media’s silence has sparked fury online. Netizens have accused the press of hypocrisy, pointing out that mainstream media relentlessly hounded Maki Takubo — the former female mayor of Ito City — over similar resume-padding allegations. “Where is the coverage on Sanae Takaichi?” one user wrote. Another demanded, “The major media needs to properly inform the public about the true nature of the LDP’s election tactics.”
“Extremely serious”
Pundits suggest the press is terrified of the Prime Minister. Ikuo Gonoi, a professor of international politics at Takachiho University, called the allegations “extremely serious” and criticized the mainstream media for abandoning its investigative duties.
“During her time as Internal Affairs Minister, Takaichi mentioned the possibility of ordering broadcasters to suspend operations,” Gonoi explained. “Because of this, TV stations and major newspapers are likely intimidated, wondering what she might do to them. It can’t be helped if the public perceives them as abandoning their professional duties.”
With the mainstream press looking the other way, the Prime Minister remains seemingly untouchable as the allegations pile up.
