Photo/Illutration Isshu Sugawara meets reporters after he submitted his resignation as economy minister on Oct 25. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Isshu Sugawara, a Lower House legislator of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, voiced his unequivocal opposition to nuclear power generation in 2012, the year after the Fukushima nuclear disaster started.

Addressing a Diet session, he vowed to do everything in his power to “stop the nation from taking it for granted that every off-line nuclear reactor must be restarted in due time.” He also called for “zero nuclear power generation by 2030.”

His slogan of “Datsu-Genpatsu!” (End nuclear power generation) was splashed in bold, large letters on his campaign literature when he ran in the 2017 Lower House election.

A month and a half ago, Sugawara was appointed the minister of economy, trade and industry, the top man in charge of the nation’s energy policy.

Did that mean the Shinzo Abe Cabinet was finally ready to wean Japan off nuclear power generation?

Of course not.

The prime minister probably did not fully vet Sugawara on his political convictions, or simply thought he could get Sugawara to retract his past statements.

The same failure to pay attention to Sugawara’s background finally backfired this time.

In 2009, the Shukan Asahi weekly magazine ran an expose with a list of “ochugen” (midsummer gift-giving season) gifts given by Sugawara, alleging “a grave violation of the Public Offices Election Law by the up-and-coming young star.”

Obviously, nothing was done before Sugawara was appointed to the Cabinet to ensure that he would stay out of trouble.

Giving cash donations or gifts to constituents, which can be regarded as buying votes, is a violation of the election law.

When the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine reported anew on Sugawara’s gift scandal in its Oct. 10 issue, Abe still must have been smug enough to think that an “old story” like this shouldn’t be difficult to brush aside.

But new allegations that his aide made a monetary offering at the wake of a supporter forced Sugawara into resignation on Oct. 25.

The long-lived Abe administration’s callousness has become increasingly blatant with time.

The administration has paid no heed to opposition parties’ repeated demands, in keeping with the Constitution, for the convocation of extraordinary Diet sessions. And no matter how much opposition there is in Okinawa against the Henoko reclamation project, the government will not back off.

Sugawara is close to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, and so is Hiroshi Kajiyama, who succeeded Sugawara.

The understanding in Nagatacho circles, where the LDP is headquartered, is that Suga controls key personnel appointments by favoring lawmakers who are close to him.

If the Abe administration believes all is right with the world, the voting public is being truly marginalized.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 26

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.