Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
| Photo Credit: AP

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was grilled by lawmakers on March 13 about a gathering of ruling party members at which scantily clad female dancers were reportedly told to use their mouths to receive cash tips.

Footage leaked from the event in November organised by a regional chapter of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) showed women dancing and sitting on participants’ laps. The women came from a troupe called Glamor Dancers and were obliged to use their mouths to receive banknotes hanging from those of the participants, media reports said.

One of the organisers, Tetsuya Kawabata, later sought to defend the event by saying that the presence of the “go-go dancers” were intended to ensure “diversity”.“We invited the dancers after studying from various viewpoints, including whether it matches the theme of diversity,” Mr. Kawabata, deputy head of the local LDP youth wing, told broadcaster ANN. He reportedly later resigned from the party. The LDP’s nationwide youth wing on Monday apologised and said that two MPs who attended were stepping down from their posts in the Youth Bureau, but will remain party members and lawmakers.

The episode is embarrassing for the LDP as it seeks to get more women into the male-dominated world of politics.

Mr. Kishida said on March 13 that the event “does not match the Cabinet’s goal of diversity”.

“What my Cabinet seeks is an inclusive society where all people feel the meaning of life with their dignity and diversity respected,” local media quoted him as saying.

In this photo provided by Cabinet Public Affairs Office, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida eats the seafood from Fukushima prefecture at lunch at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

Japan’s prime minister ate what he called “safe and delicious” fish from Fukushima on Wednesday, days after wastewater was released from the area’s crippled nuclear plant into the Pacific.

A video clip showing Fumio Kishida eating Fukushima fish, published on social media by his office, comes after China banned all seafood imports from its neighbour following the discharge that began on August 24.

“This is very good,” Mr. Kishida said as he chewed on a slice of flounder sashimi, calling on viewers to enjoy “safe and delicious” Japanese seafood to support the northeastern region.

The clip, overlaid by cheery music, showed the conservative leader joined by three other ministers at his office for sashimi, boiled pork, fruits, rice and vegetables from the Fukushima region.

It was designed to promote products from the area 12 years after Fukushima was devastated by a huge earthquake and tsunami that triggered one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters.

Even before the wastewater release, many in Japan’s fishing industry were worried about what it would do to the reputation of the country’s seafood domestically and abroad.

The discharge, equivalent to more than 500 Olympic swimming pools, is expected to take decades and will allow engineers to start removing highly dangerous radioactive fuel from three wrecked reactors.

Bricks and eggs have been thrown at Japanese schools and consulates in China and Tokyo has advised its nationals there to keep a low profile. Businesses in Japan have also been swamped with nuisance calls from Chinese numbers.

Mr. Kishida was expected to visit Tokyo’s main Toyosu fish market on Thursday to sample more Fukushima fish.

Japan has demanded that China – its biggest market for fish – drop its ban on seafood imports while warning it will complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Mr. Kishida’s government is also reportedly planning a package of financial aid for the fishing industry while also helping it find new export markets.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reiterated on Wednesday that the water being released was safe according to the UN watchdog.

In a show of support for Japan, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, was due to visit the Fukushima area on Thursday and eat locally caught seafood.