THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 22, 2023 at 18:43 JST
Lawmaker Rui Matsukawa has resigned as the head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Women’s Affairs Division after she received backlash for posting “touristy” photos during a recent research trip to Paris.
Matsukawa, 52, an Upper House member, submitted her resignation from her party position on Aug. 21 and it was accepted the following day.
“This incident has undermined the trust of the public and party members,” said LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi at a news conference. “We take the various criticisms sincerely and will strive to restore trust through our activities.”
The news conference was held after the party’s Aug. 22 board meeting, which was attended by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
For the time being, no successor to Matsukawa will be appointed. Instead, Aiko Shimajiri, 58, the deputy chairwoman of the LDP's Party Organization and Campaign Headquarters, will serve as the acting head of the Women’s Affairs Division.
The Kishida administration is expected to fill Matsukawa’s position during the party’s executive appointments planned for mid-September.
The controversial photos, which Matsukawa posted on social media, were taken while she and other division members were visiting France for a research trip in late July.
They include a photo of the members posing in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Matsukawa’s online posts said that 38 people took part in the tour, including four Diet lawmakers as well as local assembly members.
The group spent three nights and five days in Paris, where the LDP members exchanged opinions with members of France’s two legislative chambers on issues ranging from declining birthrates to the promotion of women in society.
Their business expenses were covered by party funds, but additional expenses were funded by the members themselves, according to Matsukawa's posts.
Social media was awash with unflattering comments about the images Matsukawa posted, including criticisms that “her way of thinking deviates far from public standards.”
She later deleted some of the images.
Matsukawa told reporters on Aug. 1, “There were inappropriate posts on social media. I regret causing many misunderstandings.”
She also received a dressing-down from Yuko Obuchi, the chairwoman of the Party Organization and Campaign Headquarters.
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Rui Matsukawa, center, director of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Women’s Affairs Division, poses in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris with other LDP members. She deleted the photo, taken during a recent research trip, from her account after a backlash spread on social media. (Captured from social media)
