(ATR) A travel–spending scandal has cost Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Yoichi Masuzoe his job.
Masuzoe, also a top figure with the 2020 Olympics, announced his resignation on Wednesday ahead of a vote of confidence by the Metropolitan Government. He steps down next week, with his successor set to be elected in July or early August.
Masuzoe has come under fire for his official travel budget that included nine trips abroad last year that cost $2.4 million. This year the budget is even higher, $3.3 million. Records show Masuzoe used his official car to travel between Tokyo and his vacation home nearly 50 times. He’s accused of using political contributions to buy comic books, silk shirts and artworks.
Apologetically, Masuzoe declared he "will eliminate waste as much as possible" in a bid to assuage public opinion and the revolt among his colleagues at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. He has promised to abandon the use of government vehicles to reach his vacation home. And he says while the spending may have been inappropriate, no laws were broken.
Masuzoe adds another caveat to those who seek his dismissal: the Olympics. He warns that an election to name a new governor for Tokyo would take place during the time of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August. He says the upheaval will reflect badly on Tokyo 2020. He is urging a delay until September, a request that is expected to be ignored by Tokyo legislators.
Masuzoe, 67, loses the honor of receiving the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony of Rio 2016 from the mayor of the city. That moment in the spotlight will fall to whomever is elected as his successor in August. The post wields influence over the Tokyo Games.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is one of the major stakeholders of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, along with the national government. The TMG is the signatory for Japan on the host city contract with the IOC and already provides a range of services and staff to the Olympic effort. The TMG governor sat on the ruling executive committee and is involved with big decisions. Masuzoe served as chairman of the Tokyo bid in 2012.
Masuzoe is the third elected TMG governor since the city began the bid for the Games about four years ago.Naoki Inose,Masuzoe’spredecessor, was forced from office in late 2013 after a scandal involving secret payments from a hospital company.
Public opinion polls that helped drive Inose out of office seem to carry the same influence over the fate of Masuzoe. One leading newspaper survey shows 83 percent disapproval, another newspaper poll says 77 percent think Masuzoe should resign. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has received 25,000 opinions and grievances from citizens involving Masuzoe.
The change in TMG governo won’t be the only last-minute change wrought by politicsin the script for the Games. While Masuzoe may have had dreams about receiving the Olympic flag during the August 21 closing ceremony, Dilma Rousseff similarly might have been visualizing her declaration of the opening of the 2016 Olympics as head of state. Instead she and her allies will be staging a last stand against impeachment as president. Proceedings are expected to begin two days before the start of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Reported by Hironori Hashimoto in Tokyo.