Akihide Hirashima, a specially appointed professor at Rikkyo University, is pictured at the institution in Tokyo's Toshima Ward in this photo taken on May 24, 2021. (Mainichi/Takayuki Kanamori)
TOKYO -- A former bureaucrat who was relegated from his post in 2014 after confronting current Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga over the hometown tax payment system, which Suga proposed during his time as internal affairs minister and expanded after becoming chief Cabinet secretary, has called Suga's abrupt plans to step down a preordained outcome.
The comment from Akihide Hirashima, 63, a former director general at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications who currently works as a specially appointed professor at Rikkyo University, followed Suga's recent announcement that he will not seek reappointment as leader of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) -- after only around a year as prime minister.
"Maintaining power became Suga's goal, and up until the end it was unclear what he wanted to do. It was a foreordained outcome," Hirashima said.
Suga told reporters on Sept. 3 that he would not run in the upcoming LDP leadership election because he wanted "to concentrate on preventing the spread of coronavirus infections, which I have promised to the people." Hirashima, who saw these comments on television, remarked, "I feel like he's only now saying what he should have been saying a year ago. He portrayed his crisis management as being strong, but he was always a step behind when it came to coronavirus countermeasures."
Hirashima previously faced off with Suga over the hometown tax payment system, which allows taxpayers to receive income and residential tax deductions in return for contributions to the municipality of their choice. Concerns had been raised about the system within the internal affairs ministry due to intensifying competition over high-priced gifts offered in return for taxpayers' contributions. In 2014, when Suga was chief Cabinet secretary, he requested that the upper limit for tax deductions be doubled, and Hirashima, who pointed out problems with this in his capacity as director general of the ministry's Local Tax Bureau, was removed from his position.
It was a political tactic of Suga to take control of personnel affairs to manipulate bureaucrats. As an example of a figure who provided information to Suga's liking, Hirashima cited Yoichi Takahashi, who stirred controversy by calling the epidemic in Japan a mere "ripple" when he compared infection numbers in Japan with those of other countries. Takahashi resigned as adviser to the Cabinet Secretariat in May this year.
"He (Suga) took the stance of having bureaucrats bring him only information that was convenient to him and data that he wanted, and he only listens to people who praise him. There were problems with his stance as a leader," Hirashima said.
Hirashima pointed toward the delay in COVID-19 vaccinations in Japan and the staging of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
"From the outset of the administration, he should have put full effort into vaccinations, but it appears that he accelerated vaccinations and held the Olympics in order to be reelected as president of his party and secure victory in the House of Representatives election. It appeared that it was for his own convenience, and the ideal of a 'disaster recovery Olympics' wasn't conveyed," Hirashima said.
So what has Suga accomplished over the past year? Hirashima bluntly responded, "Nothing, I think. The Digital Agency is mere streamlining, and we can't sense its ideals. I would venture to say he's taught the public that the way the prime minister is selected is important.
"It has become evident that it's strange to choose the prime minister to suit the conveniences of political factions. In the lower house election, each political party should squarely present the points of contention, enabling the public to make a decision."
(Japanese original by Shunsuke Sekiya and Takayuki Kanamori, Tokyo City News Department)
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