The corruption soap opera is experiencing a new episode in Japan. It still concerns the Tokyo 2020 Games. But, this time, the episode of the week takes a look back several years, to the time of the candidacy. In the leading role, the governor of Ishikawa, Hiroshi Hase, member of the Liberal Democratic Party and former Minister of Sports. In a speech given in Tokyo on November 17, this former wrestler explained that he had drawn from a secret fund, during the Japanese capital's bid campaign for the 2020 Games, to offer gifts to IOC members. He said that then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked him to “ ensure that we emerge victorious", telling him that he would get as much money as he wanted, because he existed for that “ secret funds. » Hiroshi Hase then attempted to walk back his comments, explaining in a statement: “ These remarks were inappropriate and could cause misunderstandings, so I am removing them completely.. » But the machine was launched. Consequence: a difficult parliamentary session at the start of the week for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He has been bombarded with questions by the opposition, with his political opponents demanding that he take responsibility for investigating Hiroshi Hase's statements.
