Photo/Illutration Sanae Takaichi, the minister in charge of economic security, talks to a reporter at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Oct. 7 before attending a Cabinet meeting. (Koichi Ueda)

Sanae Takaichi, the minister in charge of economic security, on Oct. 7 denied being the source of inaccurate claims that most social media posts critical of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s state funeral came from overseas.

The claims—that 80 percent of the anti-state funeral posts came from a “neighboring continent”—were tweeted by Takatora Kobayashi, a Mie prefectural assembly member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Kobayashi told reporters that his information came from what Takaichi had said during a speech she gave in Nagoya on Oct. 2.

Takaichi, an LDP heavyweight who was close to Abe, denied Kobayashi’s account at an Oct. 7 news conference after a Cabinet meeting.

“I would not use such a word as ‘continent,’” she said.

Asked why she waited for days to deny Kobayashi’s remarks, she said, “I have refrained from commenting because (my speech in Nagoya) was closed to the public.”

According to various opinion polls, a majority of voters opposed holding a state funeral for Abe, who was shot and killed in July. The state funeral was held on Sept. 27.

Kobayashi tweeted on Oct. 2, “An analysis shows that 80 percent (of social media posts opposing the state funeral) were sent from a neighboring continent.”

He then tweeted on Oct. 4, “(The analysis was) what Ms. Sanae Takaichi cited (in her speech) as the conclusion of research undertaken by the government.”

He deleted the tweets in question on Oct. 5.

At a news conference on Oct. 6, he said, “I would like to correct and apologize for my comments.”

But he did not specify why his comments or tweets were erroneous.

Related News