Japan’s Kishida accused of nepotism for appointing son as executive secretary

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is facing accusations of nepotism after he appointed his inexperienced son to be his executive secretary, a move some critics say may pave the way for the younger Kishida to inherit his father’s parliamentary seat.

Shotaro Kishida, 31, was appointed on Tuesday, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno saying in a press conference that he had been selected for his “personality and insight”. Matsuno insisted officials had been motivated by “the idea of putting the right person in the right place”.

Shotaro, the prime minister’s eldest son, had been a secretary in his father’s office since March 2020. He previously worked for trading house Mitsui & Co.

The decision comes just a week after the government held a controversial US$11.5 million state funeral for ex-leader Shinzo Abe.

Tuesday also marked exactly one year since Kishida became prime minister. After a relatively positive first few months in office when his public support rate exceeded 60 per cent, his popularity has been on the decline.

Revelations over the number of members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) with links to the Unification Church have dented Kishida’s support.

But the most significant impact on his plummeting approval figures has been his insistence on the elaborate – and expensive – memorial service for Abe, who was shot dead at an LDP rally in July.

In a poll conducted by Jiji Press in mid-September, Kishida had a support rate of just 32.3 per cent, down 12 percentage points in a month.

“Bringing in his own son is quite unusual as usually these positions are filled by experienced bureaucrats from the ministries,” said Hiromi Murakami, a professor of political science at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.

“And the timing of the announcement, just after Abe’s memorial service is quite bad. It is odd that he did not realise that this does not look good or that no one suggested that to him,” she added.

Yuichiro Tamaki, head of opposition party Democratic Party for the People, was quick to criticise the move, accusing the prime minister of “showing favouritism towards relatives”.

Messages on social media sites were less restrained in accusing Kishida of nepotism and slamming his declining approval ratings, with some even calling for a law against “hereditary politics”.

“Hereditary politics again? Seriously, just stop it with these hereditary appointments. It only breeds corruption. I want a law against hereditary politics,” read one comment on Twitter.

Japanese politics have long been dominated by “dynasties” of powerful families who have consistently risen to the top positions in government.

Kishida’s father was a government official in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry who went on to be elected to the House of Representatives.

His grandfather was also a politician representing Hiroshima, which is also Kishida’s constituency today.

Both of Shinzo Abe’s grandfathers were politicians. Nobusuke Kishi, his maternal grandfather, was prime minister for three years from 1957.

Around 30 per cent of the politicians in the Diet are second-generation politicians, rising to 40 per cent for those in the LDP.

Political dynasties have thrived as a result of wealthy families building power bases in rural parts of Japan in the past, winning the support of local people and businesses through their largesse or financial clout, Murakami said.

That combination of fame and financial support became greater power that could be exercised on the regional and, eventually, the national level.

Stephen Nagy, an associate professor of politics and international relations at Tokyo’s International Christian University, says the system is widely accepted by a population that favours stability above all else, but it has many drawbacks.

“Inherited political seats have long been a feature of Japan’s political world and are accepted by civil society, although it is not a good way to infuse politics with new ideas or new dynamics,” he said. “Enthusiastic new people do not come through sufficiently and the result is a calcification of the political system and the continuation of bad habits.”

While Nagy was not optimistic about change, Murakami said the criticism by younger voters signalled they were becoming increasingly unhappy with the political status quo.

“People, especially younger people, are unhappy and it will sooner or later reach the point that being a politician in a seat that you have inherited is a disadvantage when elections come around,” she said.

“It will be seen as symbolic of the past, of old ways of politics and that will not be helpful to those candidates.”sc

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Japan’s Kishida accused of nepotism for appointing son as executive secretary

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