Democratic People’s Party Rep. Yuichiro Tamaki “Hotel fees are pocket money” Faculty issue, political money “not used at all”: Tokyo Shimbun TOKYO Web

At a press conference on the 12th, representative of the Democratic Party of Japan, Yuichiro Tamaki, said, “I would like to continue my activities as a lawmaker,” as to how I will take responsibility for the external issue. which was reported by the weekly photo magazine “FLASH,” and he announced his retirement as a lawyer. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of cases in which members of the Diet resign after discovering that they had an affair.

Mr. Tamaki was also asked if he had used political money to give the other woman that day, but he denied it, saying, “I didn’t use any of it for accommodation.”(Yusuke Sato, Mikisari Miyao)

When asked if the extramarital affair violated the party’s ethics rules, he replied, “I would like to wait for the decision of the party’s ethics committee. As for the topic, I can’t say whether this applies or not. . Actually, I would like you to give a neutral judgement.”

He completely denies that he used political money to meet women. He explained that his home in Kagawa Prefecture is about an hour and a half from Takamatsu Airport, so if he arrived late or had an early schedule the next morning, he would use a hotel in Takamatsu City “We have made sure to clearly separate public and private life and pay from our annual expenses with pocket money.”

When asked about his reaction to some reports that Takamatsu City is considering firing the tourism ambassador over the woman with whom Mr. Tamaki is said to have had an affair, he replied e, “I don’t know the truth, so I would like to. refrain from commenting.”” was all he said.

◆ “There is only one person in the universe who can impose sanctions: my wife. “

Representative Yuichiro Tamaki exchanges words with Secretary-General Tsuya Shinba (left) inside the National Diet on November 11 (Photo by Mikisei Miyao)

There has been no open criticism from within the Democratic Party of Japan of the reports about Mr Tamaki’s affair. At the general meeting of the members of both houses on the 11th, Secretary-General Tsuya Shinbaba explained that there was no objection against the continued appointment of Mr. Tamaki as a representative.

On the 11th, Takae Ito, chairman of the House of Councilors Committee on Domestic Relations, who was present at the General Assembly, posted on her X (formerly Twitter), “This is embarrassing What should I do with this once in – a chance of a lifetime that the Diet might be able to recover the policy debate on “solutions rather than conflict”? they should get their due punishment.'” “But at the same time … only the universe can do that.” I think there is only one person, my wife,” he continued .

◆ Secretary-General Shinba: “Without Tamaki, this party would not exist.”

Most of the former members of the old Democratic Party of Japan joined the new Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which was founded in 2020, and some believe that the current People’s Democratic Party has been become Tamaki’s “one-man party”.

The members of the Constitutional Democratic Party are Seiji Maehara, a member of the House of Representatives (currently a member of the Japan Restoration Party), Kohei Otsuka, a former member of the House of Councilors (who resigned resignation on November 5 to run for mayor of Nagoya), and Shuhei Kishimoto, a former member of the House of Representatives (currently a member of Wakayama City) who preceded him, including the prefectural governor , who had a longer political career than his first elected peers, is gone. the Democratic Party of Japan, which forced Mr. Tamaki to leave, saying, “I think there is no one left who can say anything to Mr. Tamaki.”

President Motohisa Furukawa, a heavyweight who has been elected more times than Tamaki and has experience as a cabinet minister, has not made any specific announcements on the matter. When asked by reporters inside the Diet on the 11th, he refused to comment, saying, “This is about the representatives.”

Secretary-General Shinba, who has the second longest career as a member of the Diet after Mr. Furukawa, has publicly stated that his hobby is Yuichiro Tamaki. At a press conference after a general meeting of members of both houses on the 11th, he defended himself by saying, “Representative Tamaki has helped us many times without Tamaki, this party would not exist.”

◆ Shikari Kanno: “I’m glad Tamaki didn’t quit.”

On the other hand, lawyer Shikuri Kanno, a former member of the House of Representatives of the Democratic People’s Party, posted on his Facebook on the 12th, “If the private life of a politician is directly linked to the progress or their retreat, I’ll be “And then there’s no one left.” I’m glad Tamaki didn’t have to resign to achieve political reform.” culture, where the careers of not only politicians but also professionals are taken away without asking any questions because of their personal lives, is also draining Japan’s vitality.”I will take it away,” he said.

In 2017, Sugano was also forced to leave the Democratic Party after he was unofficially appointed general secretary of the vacant Democratic Party after allegations of his affair were reported in a weekly magazine.

◆ The resignation of Kensuke Miyazaki as a member of the Diet was the first in the history of the Japanese Constitution

Kensuke Miyazaki, a member of the House of Representatives, bows his head after resigning as a member, inside the Diet on February 12, 2016 (Photo by Tetsuki Sato)

Regarding extramarital affairs among politicians, Kensuke Miyazaki, a member of the House of Representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party, resigned in 2016 after reports of his own affair. This is said to be the first case in the history of the Japanese Constitution where a badge was removed due to relationship. Liberal Democratic Party member Hiroyuki Miyazawa also resigned from the House of Representatives in April 2024 after discovering his own problems with women.

In 2018, Niigata Prefecture Governor Ryuichi Yoneyama (currently a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s House of Representatives) resigned after being accused of prostitution. Liberal Democratic Party member Taro Yamada resigned as Parliamentary Deputy Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2023 due to women’s issues.

At a press conference on the 12th, Mr. Tamaki said that the Democratic Party of Japan aims to raise the “1.03 million yen,” threshold below which income tax is payable on income. -annual income exceeding 1.03 million yen, through negotiations with the minority ruling party of the Ishiba administration. “I want to somehow meet the expectations of the people, and I want to contribute to restoring the lost trust,” he said.

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