Suga’s betrayal, Abe’s anger

On the 3rd, it was reported that the Tokyo District Prosecutor’s Office in Japan requested an “ arbitrary hearing (investigation) ” with former Prime Minister Abe to investigate suspicions during the presidency of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. It is related to the so-called “ cherry blossom scandal ” that Prime Minister Abe called his followers to a luxury hotel on the eve of the national event “ Reunion of the cherry blossoms ” and paid part of the cost.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left) is handing a bouquet of flowers to then-elected minister Yoshihide Suga, who was elected the new governor in the PLD governor’s election on September 14. [로이터=연합뉴스]

Investigations by prosecutors into the former prime minister are rare in Japan. Furthermore, attention was drawn to the fact that this report first appeared in the Yomiuri newspaper and on the public broadcaster NHK, which had been classified as “pro-government”.

The reason that these media, which have been aware of the government’s notice, denounced the “ defect ” of former Prime Minister Abe is an interpretation that there was an “ implicit approval ” of current Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide (菅 義 偉).

Prime Minister Suga, who served as secretary to the secretary in the role of “prime minister’s mouth” for eight years in the Abe regime, promoted the “Be succession” as his inauguration. However, three months after taking office, remarks continue that Suga is changing.

People’s money problems big and small around Abe are being published one after another, and the policies that Abe was enthusiastically pursuing are gradually being turned. It appears that Prime Minister Suga, who is aiming for “three more years” after serving as chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party in September next year, has distanced himself on a large scale to prevent a “resurgence of Be.”

In the latest issue of Asahi Shimbun’s weekly magazine Aera, the prosecution began investigating Prime Minister Abe’s “ cherry blossom scandal ” in the latest issue, “The prosecution and the prime minister’s residence had as I aim the common goal of “ getting away from Abe. ” Because I agreed. ”

A prosecution official told Aera: “It is highly likely that the information about the ‘Abe prosecutor’s investigation’, which was first reported in various outlets, came from the prime minister’s residence, which was reported by the prosecution in advance.

Japanese prosecutors have lost their face because of Abe. Earlier this year, Abe attempted to amend the Prosecution Law to increase the mandate of the Tokyo Superior Prosecutor’s Office at the time of his closest friend, Hiromu Kurokawa. Criticism continued, “Would you like to revise the law to give preferential treatment to your close associates?” Kurokawa subsequently resigned after it was revealed that he enjoyed gambling mahjong during an emergency with a new coronavirus infection (Corona 19).

The Japanese weekly Shukanbun-shun reported in a May 20 issue that Prime Minister Abe played mahjong, a gamble by the Tokyo Chief Prosecutor’s Office Hiromu Kurokawa, who was being considered as the next attorney general. The image is a related report from Shukanbun-shun. Reporter Seung-wook Seo

As for the indictment, Abe aimed at Abe to restore the people’s trust, which was lost at the time, and Aera analyzes that Prime Minister Suga would have agreed with it.

However, to prevent Abe’s “fire” from spreading to the Suga regime, he predicted that the case was expected to close with a brief prosecution of Abe’s secretary and accountant for violating the Political Fund Regulation Act.

In addition to the ‘cherry blossom scandal’, Abe-related money problems continually crop up. The Kyodo news agency reported on the 9th that it was revealed that the Liberal Democratic Party, Electoral District IV of Yamaguchi Prefecture, headed by former Prime Minister Abe, received political donations from the pharmaceutical company Nihon Chemifa, a company that was criticized by the Fair Trade Commission for violating antitrust law last year. did. It is not a legal problem, but morally it is difficult to avoid criticism.

Takamori Yoshikawa, Abe’s former Cabinet Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Koya Nishikawa’s involvement in the Cabinet Office are also under investigation by the prosecution for receiving bribes from Akita Foods, a large poultry company during his tenure.

There is also a movement for policy differentiation. The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 10th that the Japanese government has decided not to specify in its defense policy the expression “ability to attack enemy bases”, which is the defense objective advocated by the Abe regime. It is a kind of ‘trick’ to promote related policies by mitigating expressions like ‘attacking enemy bases’, which may provoke controversy, with ‘strengthening deterrence’.

The “Cherry Blossom Watching Meeting” was held in Shinjuku Gyoen in April last year. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe greets the attendees.[사진=지지통신]

However, considering the fact that former Prime Minister Abe stuck to the phrase of ‘attacking enemy bases’ and even called for “I hope the next regime continues”, it can be interpreted that Suga maintained a “half year” against Abe.

Shukanbunshun weekly magazine, published on the 10th, is related to this “There is a ‘gap’ between Abe and Suga“Whereas Abe is like Suga ‘Quoting a close friend as saying he was angry with the decision to ignore the succession.Reported.

According to Shukanbun-shun, Suga is not following the guidelines Abe decided on earlier in terms of history textbook topics, other than his “ability to attack enemy bases.” At the time of his tenure, Abe instructed the relevant ministries to correct the description of the conscription problem in the history textbook.

However, Suga is said to have been concerned about the reaction of neighboring countries such as South Korea and China, so he cleaned himself up underwater. Abe’s aide said: “Job-level Prime Minister Suga is not very interested in conservative thinking.”

Eventually, angry Prime Minister Abe began to broach the issue of the prime minister’s full power: dissolution of the House of Representatives and early general elections, the magazine said. In several places, he said: “If I were the prime minister, I would dissolve the House of Representatives if I had this approval rating.”be be.

Former Prime Minister Abe, who was completely ill at the time of the resignation announcement in late August, is showing his face in various places with a look that has recently become healthier. The treatment of chronic ulcerative colitis is well treated and the body is in very good condition. That is why some even say that “health was just an excuse, and the purpose was to avoid investigations by the prosecution.”

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is surrounded by reporters at the Japanese National Assembly on the afternoon of the 4th, speaking in connection with the investigation of the Tokyo District Prosecutor’s Office. [교도=연합뉴스]

In ‘Hosdapa’, the largest faction of the Liberal Democratic Party to which he belongs, even voices urge Abe, who has regained his health, to run for governor next year. A source in Tokyo said: “If Prime Minister Suga hadn’t been in office for a year, he would have felt unpleasant.”

However, as the “ cherry blossom scandal ” seriously reveals the facts of Abe’s illegality, it is unlikely that Abe’s morality will resurface. Aera insisted that Abe, who had argued that there were no illicit acts on this issue, “has to adequately explain the facts in front of the public.”

Tokyo = Correspondent Lee Young-hee [email protected]