In Japan, two female

ministers quit, dealing a

blow to Abe and
womenomics
Yuko Obuchi, Japans economy, trade and industry minister, announces her resignation
at a news conference at her oce in !okyo on "onday# Obuchi resigned o$er claims she
misused political funds# %Yoshika&u !suno'A()'*etty Images+
,y Anna (i-eld October ./ at 0/122 A"
TOKYO Two of Japans new female cabinet ministers, appointed just last month as
part of Prime Minister Shino !bes plan to let women "shine,# resi$ned their posts
Monda% amid alle$ations of financial impropriet%&
Their departures undermine !bes efforts to lead b% e'ample when it comes
to promotin$ wor(in$ women, and the% cast a dar( cloud o)er his administration at a
difficult time& The prime ministers "!benomics# plan to re)i)e the econom% loo(s to
be filin$ out, and he must decide within the ne't few months whether to press ahead
with a hu$el% unpopular rise in the consumption ta'&
* apolo$ie to all citiens for what happened,# !be told reporters outside his office
Monda% afternoon as the two cabinet members Trade and *ndustr% Minister Yu(o
Obuchi and Justice Minister Midori Matsushima resi$ned within hours of each
other&
!be swiftl% appointed Yoichi Mi%aawa, a former official in the powerful +inance
Ministr%, as the new trade and industr% minister& ,e appointed another woman as
justice minister, turnin$ to Yo(o Kami(awa, who pre)iousl% ser)ed as minister for
$ender e-ualit% and once wor(ed for Sen& Ma' .aucus /01Mont&2, who is now
ambassador to 3hina&
* hurried on the selection of the replacements, as difficult tas(s are pilin$ up and we
must proceed with the econom% as a top priorit%,# !be said&
The resi$nations mar( !bes bi$$est setbac( since he returned to the premiership
almost two %ears a$o&
The fact that !be was puttin$ so much emphasis on women ma(es it e)en harder for
him,# said Koichi 4a(ano, a political scientist at Sophia 5ni)ersit% in To(%o&
The first minister to fall on Monda% was Obuchi, a 671%ear1old mother of two %oun$
children and dau$hter of a former prime minister, who was widel% touted as
potentiall% "Japans first female prime minister&# !be last month promoted her to lead
the powerful Ministr% of 8conom%, Trade and *ndustr% /M8T*2, ma(in$ her one of fi)e
women in the newl% reshuffled cabinet&
9ith Japans labor force a$in$ and shrin(in$, !be has presented women, who often
stop wor(in$ once the% $et married, as critical to hoistin$ Japan out of its decades
of economic sta$nation& ,e has made a polic% dubbed "womenomics# a (e% part of his
strate$% to re)i)e Japans econom% throu$h structural reforms&
.ut the shine -uic(l% came off Obuchis star&
Onl% si' wee(s after she was promoted to the cabinet, reports surfaced that her
political funds report for :7;:, the %ear of the last $eneral election, did not include
re)enue and spendin$ on theater tic(ets for her supporters, or$anied b% her political
support $roup& There was a $ap of about <6:6,777 in her accounts&
!nother support $roup bou$ht <=>,777 worth of $oods from businesses run b%
Obuchis sister and brother1in1law, the public broadcaster 4,K reported, in )iolation
of political fundin$ laws&
!s a member of the !be cabinet, * feel sorr% that * could not contribute an%thin$ to
)arious issues such as the economic reco)er% and the realiation of a societ% where
women can shine, and * apolo$ie,# Obuchi said in a tele)ised statement Monda%
mornin$, bowin$ deepl% to the reporters in the room&
!s minister of M8T*, its unfor$i)able for m% personal issues to cause economic
policies and ener$% policies to sta$nate& * resi$n here and would li(e to put all m%
effort into re$ainin$ e)er%ones trust b% in)esti$atin$ these doubts,# she said matter1
of1factl%& .ut at times she appeared to be holdin$ bac( tears and paused to compose
herself& "People e'pected a lot& * re$ret * could not pla% an% role, and * feel sorr%&#
Onl% a few hours later, Matsushima also submitted her resi$nation& She had been
accused of brea(in$ political campai$n laws for distributin$ paper fans durin$ summer
festi)als&
The cheap fans are commonl% handed out at festi)als durin$ humid !u$ust and mi$ht
seem tri)ial outside Japan& O)er a three1%ear period, Matsushima $a)e awa% to )oters
almost ::,777 fans featurin$ a caricature of her and costin$ about ?> cents each,
accordin$ to reports&
3ritics here said the fans e'ceeded the )alue of what is allowed to be distributed& Japan
has strict rules that ban $i)in$ an%thin$ with monetar% or material )alue to )oters
whether the% be la)ish end1of1%ear $ift bo'es or throwawa% fans&
* feel sorr% that m% recent words and actions caused political and administrati)e
sta$nation,# Matsushima said in a tele)ised news conference, loo(in$ much more
rela'ed about the situation than Obuchi and e)en smilin$ at times&
She denied brea(in$ an% laws, sa%in$ that the fans are not )aluable because the% are
$i)en out and immediatel% thrown awa%, meanin$ that the% could not be considered
donations&
* m%self do not thin( * did an%thin$ that )iolates an% law, but * am resi$nin$ as * don@t
wish to cause an% more paral%sis,# the >A1%ear1old former journalist said&
Their resi$nations are the first since !be was reelected in 0ecember :7;:& ,is first
term, between :77B and :77?, was mar(ed b% a series of scandals, durin$ which a
number of ministers -uit and one committed suicide& *n one instance, !be lost two
a$riculture ministers in -uic( succession after the replacement turned out to ha)e
problems li(e those of his predecessor&
These scandals will be hauntin$ C!beD since the% brou$ht him down the first time,#
said 4a(ano, the political scientist&
!fter returnin$ to office with a stron$ mandate and impressi)e poll numbers, !be is
be$innin$ to stru$$le& *n addition to -uestions about his choice of ministers, the prime
minister is now faced with a dilemma o)er whether to raise the consumption ta' b% :
percenta$e points, to ;7 percent& +iscal haw(s sa% the mo)e is necessar% to help repair
the public finances, but others warn it would derail the nascent economic reco)er%&
The latest opinion sur)e%s ha)e contained discomfortin$ news for the prime minister&
! K%odo poll released Sunda% showed !bes cabinet had an appro)al ratin$ of 6A&;
percent, down almost ? points from earl% September&
Yu(i Oda contributed to this report&
Anna (i-eld is !he )osts bureau chief in !okyo, focusing on
Japan and the 3oreas# 4he pre$iously reported for the (inancial !imes from
5ashington 67, 4eoul, 4ydney, 8ondon and from across the "iddle 9ast#
Posted b% Tha)am