‘Hereditary politics’: Japan’s Kishida accused of nepotism for appointing son as executive secretary
- Critics have suggested that Kishida is laying the groundwork for his 31-year-old son to be his eventual successor
- Shotaro Kishida, already a member of his father’s staff, will join a small group of staffers that follows the prime minister everywhere
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.
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.
Abe’s funeral unpopular in Japan but may deepen regional ties: analysts
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.
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.”