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.
LDP delegation members face backlash over Eiffel Tower snap
August 1, 2023
Once again, women shut out of president’s election in LDP
September 4, 2020
Sugita admits to ‘women lie’ about violence remark, draws more ire
October 2, 2020
Survey: Kishida Cabinet approval rating slides further to 33%
August 21, 2023
LDP rejects petition seeking Sugita’s ouster in latest outrage
October 14, 2020
Abe faction settles for group leadership structure
August 18, 2023
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
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)
