Lower House Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda left office without offering any sign he had a responsibility, as the presiding officer of the nation’s primary legislative body and debating chamber, to confront serious allegations against him.

While he has expressed his intention to continue serving as a member of the Lower House, one cannot help but wonder whether he can still command trust, seeing as he failed to show accountability. He should feel the weight of the responsibility for his failure to dispel mistrust in politics.

Hosoda gave a news conference Oct. 13 to say he was stepping down due to poor health, disclosing he had been treated for a stroke. He stated that he regretfully decided to resign, fearing his health issues might hinder his official duties as the house speaker.

Nevertheless, he plans to remain as a member of the Diet and has even shown interest in contesting in the next Lower House election.

The news conference was his first opportunity to explain to the public his relationship with the Unification Church, now formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and allegations of sexual harassment against female journalists.

However, he did not offer a satisfactory explanation. He simply said there was no problem with his behavior regarding these matters.

While Hosoda has acknowledged attending eight meetings of organizations affiliated with the controversial religious group and sending three congratulatory telegrams, he dismissed these as casual interactions.

“I only attended (meetings) when I was invited to do,” he said as he denied having had any “special relationship” with the church.

Regarding his attendance at a 2019 meeting, along with Hak Ja Han Moon, the church founder’s widow and its current leader, where he was shown in a video saying, “I will immediately report to Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe about how this meeting was successful,” Hosoda played down the implications of his words by characterizing them as “lip service.” He added he had never talked about the Unification Church with Abe.

Given that Hosoda served as head of Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyukai (Seiwaken), a faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party believed to have developed particularly close ties with the Unification Church, for about seven years, it is hard to take his words about his links with the church at face value.

It has been revealed that a former Upper House lawmaker who was a member of the faction received support from the church for his campaign for the Upper House election in 2016, when Hosoda still led the faction. Yet, Hosoda remained evasive on this matter, saying he knew nothing about it.

What is alarming is Hosoda’s seeming lack of regret over the fact that the words and actions of many lawmakers, including himself, effectively endorsed the religious organization’s dubious activities, possibly exacerbating the scope of damage they caused to victims.

As for the sexual harassment allegations reported by the weekly Shukan Bunshun magazine, Hosoda remained defiant, pointing out that no victim had come forward. He went so far as to say that being “blamed for something I don’t recall doing” was tantamount to “harassment against a man.”

It is doubtful whether he regarded the news conference as an opportunity to address questions concerning these allegations to ensure transparency and accountability.

Participation was limited to one person per media outlet, and freelance journalists were excluded. The session, originally slated to last for only 30 minutes, was hastily concluded after about 50 minutes as reporters kept hammering away with their questions.

The LDP, which recommended Hosoda for the speaker role and continued to defend him even after doubts arose about his credentials, must also be held accountable.

Hosoda was exempted from the party’s “review” of its members’ ties with the church due to his temporary suspension from the party membership while he held the office of speaker, which is done to maintain political neutrality. Now that he has resigned from the post, the party should request his response to a thorough investigation and urge him to offer full explanations.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 14