Prime Minister Wife's Accountability and Sontaku 忖度に関する考察 No.2 - 昭恵夫人

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

It is not unusual that women are obsessed with looking young, but in Japan, acting young or even childish, too. They speak in a higher pitch and a little slowly. It makes me sick. But what makes me sicker is a woman who evades her accountability by hiding behind her powerful husband, i.e., Ms. Akie Abe, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife. We want her to explain in public what she did and did not and if or how she was involved in the Moritomo School scandal. But she has been quiet like a grounded baby girl since the scandal broke out. If you are not familiar with the incident, please go to this site or others: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moritomo Gakuen.

Various statements, photos, publications suggest that she was involved in the sale of state-owned land to the school owner, then a friend of hers, at unbelievably low price using power as prime minister's wife. However, once this was made public, she resigned as the honorary principal of the school and has made no comments. Her husband has been answering every question for her because, according to prime minister or other members of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, she isn't a public figure. But isn't she so? She has an aide assigned by the Ministry of Finance using taxpayers' money.

Until the incident broke out, Ms. Abe had been known for her straightforwardness and being sometimes contradicting her husband. Some political analysts say that she doesn't have to or shouldn't testify in the diet because it would prove nothing but her ignorance and naivety and may make us feel bullying her. But she is an adult in her 50s who should be able to be accountable for her actions. Ignorance and naivety can no longer be an excuse to evade it. Also, if a man had done the same thing, his political life would have already been terminated. So, what are we waiting for? Let's hear from Ms. Abe. Why has no one been able to call her as a witness? Why hasn't she come forward herself to answer the questions? Or is it because she is a woman or has physical or mental issues that she cannot appear in the diet? I have no idea. Maybe, the sontaku spirit is working again.

安倍昭恵夫人が大人の女性で、自分の行動に責任が持てるなら、是非、国会に出てきていただき、ご自分の言葉で説明してほしいものです。それとも何か出ては来れない理由でもあるのでしょうか。もし責任を取れないのであれば、公費を使う行為は今後一切慎むべきだと思います。