Japanese media “US distrusts Kishida administration over political funding issue”
“Aso dispels anxiety in the U.S. and quickly improves the environment for Kishida’s visit to the U.S.”
Taro Aso (麻生太?), Vice President of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will visit the United States on the 9th. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to confirm solidarity with the U.S. government before visiting the United States.
According to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK and Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), Vice Governor Aso will visit the United States for five days from the 9th to the 13th.
Vice Governor Aso is coordinating meetings with key U.S. government officials and members of the National Assembly during his visit to the United States.
Prime Minister Kishida is making adjustments to make a state visit to the United States in early March. Vice Governor Aso plans to meet with U.S. government officials ahead of this to confirm the unwavering solidarity between the U.S. and Japanese governments.
In particular, Nikkei said, “There is a sense of distrust in the United States toward the Kishida administration, which has taken on the political funding issue. “Vice-Governor Aso is rushing to dispel this anxiety and prepare the environment for Prime Minister (Kishida)’s visit to the United States,” he analyzed.
Japan’s Tokyo District Prosecutors’ Office is investigating the issue of political funding from the Liberal Democratic Party faction. A sitting member of the Liberal Democratic Party was arrested due to suspicions about creating a slush fund. The lawmaker in question was expelled from the Liberal Democratic Party, but the Kishida administration is suffering a blow as the investigation expands.
In addition, NHK reported that Deputy Governor Aso plans to build a wide network ahead of the U.S. presidential election scheduled for November this year. The purpose is to support the Japanese government’s diplomacy.
Additionally, Vice Governor Aso is scheduled to give a lecture on topics such as the international situation at a think tank in Washington, D.C. on the night of the 10th, Korean time.
In a lecture held in Nogata City, Fukuoka Prefecture on the 8th, Vice Governor Aso pointed out that the United States is being asked to respond with a ‘three-pronged’ approach that looks at three regions: Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
At the same time, he argued, “If the United States does not have the power to (respond) to all three fronts simultaneously, it is important for security that we supplement.” This lecture is also expected to emphasize the US-Japan alliance and deterrence.
Source: Donga
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