After dismissing a close aide for making discriminatory remarks about sexual minorities, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he felt the weight of “responsibility” for having appointed the person in the first place. But issues have arisen over another close aide who also holds an important post: his eldest son Shotaro, whose title is executive secretary in charge of political affairs to the prime minister.

The Shukan Shincho weekly magazine recently reported that the prime minister’s son went on shopping and sightseeing outings in Paris and London using official vehicles while accompanying his father to five Group of Seven nations in January.

During a Lower House Budget Committee session, an opposition lawmaker said such activities amounted to mixing public and private matters.

Clearly, the prime minister’s son lacked the kind of discipline required of someone in his position.

Kishida was accused of nepotism when he decided to appoint his son to the post.

The government rushed to the defense of the younger Kishida, contending that none of his activities was inappropriate. It said he only took pictures of the exteriors of tourist attractions and did not enter the facilities. It said the photos were for use in public relations materials. But Shotaro also went souvenir shopping to purchase gifts for the members of his father’s Cabinet. There is no evidence that any of the photos snapped overseas has been used for official purposes. A more sensible person would not have used public vehicles to purchase souvenirs on behalf of a politician.

Kishida has freely acknowledged the purchase of souvenirs for his Cabinet members, which he said was funded out of his own pocket. He insisted that running shopping errands on his behalf is part of the job of an executive secretary in charge of political affairs, which would make it an official duty. Kishida’s argument must have failed to convince many voters.

There are two types of executive secretaries, or “hishokan,” for the prime minister. One is “jimu hishokan.” These are administrative secretaries like Masayoshi Arai, who was sacked the other day. They are provided by ministries and agencies. The other is “seimu hishokan,” or parliamentary secretaries. They are primarily responsible for supporting the prime minister’s political activities, such as keeping the channels of communication open within the ruling party and dealing with supporters in the prime minister’s constituency. They are all special central government employees.

Currently, six administrative secretaries are on loan from five ministries and agencies, including the finance and foreign ministries, as well as two parliamentary secretaries, Shotaro Kishida and a former top bureaucrat at the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry. Usually, the prime minister only has one parliamentary executive secretary, sometimes referred to as “chief secretary.” Kishida, however, decided to have two. He replaced the predecessor with his son at the time his administration marked its first year in office.

There are past cases where a prime minister appointed a family member to the post of parliamentary secretary. Former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, for instance, picked his eldest son, Tatsuo, now a Lower House member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. But Kishida’s decision to appoint his son, a political neophyte, came at a time when strong political headwinds were blowing due to public criticism over his decision to hold a state funeral for slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and revelations about cozy ties between LDP lawmakers and the Unification Church. There is good reason to regard Kishida’s move as a step to groom Shotaro as his political heir.

Kishida was born into a family with a political pedigree. Both his father and grandfather were Lower House lawmakers. Kishida is the third-generation politician of the family. It is widely believed he intends to hand over the family’s local support base to Shotaro.

A hereditary candidate, of course, is not elected to the Diet unless he or she is supported by voters. A hereditary politician is not necessary ill-equipped to serve as a lawmaker.

But a proliferation of hereditary politics makes it difficult for newcomers to pursue a career in politics. It also deprives politics of diversity and vigor.

Kishida’s political integrity was called into question because he made a political appointment with the apparent sole aim of adding luster to his son’s resume for future succession.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 7