Prosecutors to reopen probe into ex-PM Abe's dinner spending scandal

Do you know how it's gonna turn out? Lack of evidence. Or a guilty plea from some scapegoat and a 10% pay cut for two months. Something similarly absurd. Corruption is tolerated in Japan in the form of various gifts, corporate attention, etc. Corruption here is cleverly hidden under another word. Investigations into corruption here never end as one would expect.

I thought in Japan you can't touch any member of the LDP or M of P! they have immunity from prosecution. When was the last time any was Prosecuted?

In most cases the Prosecutors are the ones Prosecuted for filling a case.

It's the same prosecutors being given the case again and told "please review this." So when they reach the same result as before, will we be forever stuck in a "do loop" where the Inquest Committee says, "look again" ?

Over and over, and over again.

Remember Abe used a "tummy ache" as an excuse to step down.

Now the prosecutors basically telling the public that they are going to let him go, so he can run for Prime Minister again because they are all friends, and they need to pretend that they are not all corrupt.

The J-gov is truly pathetic, incompetent, and corrupt!!!

Failure to report my tax affairs in Japan and I would be in prison or deported or both…

There is another rule for the elite in Japan.

Concerning whether populaces at large agree or disagree with the govt of the day, rests on many things.

What is without contention imo here in Japan, is that the LDP have ruled essentially lock stock and barrel for 60+ years, with Generations of incestuous politics being the norm with little chance for alternative thinking and actions..

Abe is the "face" of such and his acts represents the "we are beholden to no one beyond ourselves " cavalier approach to rule.

Other democracies when confronted with similar arrogance and criminal acts by ruling govts, usually see that they are thrown out at the next election. Not always but very often.

In Japan the majority of people, under the sad shrug of "it can't be helped" or something similar, continue to vote the autocrats into power.

That is a chasm of difference and is why Abe and Co could get away with whatever they wanted. This current case together with the Moritomo Gakuen and Kake Gakuen scandals and the inept handling of covid earlier on(eg Abenomasks....) would see the downfall of not only the leaders, but also the Party in more than many democratic govts.

But in Japan the chances are slim.

I hope I'm wrong.

I’d say the same thing to someone who was saying all Aussies, English, or Americans must be __ because they voted in __.

Same here man, lived all over the world when I was young. Middle east too 7 years.

Japanese people deserve their leaders just as much as Europeans, Americans, and the rest.

Equating us as sillier than you…dude, if you have been around as much as you say you have, then spare me that.

Im sure what Im saying is not going to be popular on this site.

thepersoniamnow

Bro, been here 25+ years. 宜しくお願いいたします。And been to lots of places, including Africa and the Middle East.

If you the public just keep on voting these idiots in, then you get what you deserve.

But let's agree to disagree on this, or we will just me modded out anyway.

Previous PM Abe is root of recent Japan's political and social corruption.

Tora

Nah actually we don’t man.

But I noticed a lot of foreigners that come here like to assume that.

Just because we dont go full riot, protest, commit acts of violence, or tear down statues, doesnt mean we are accepting everything.

You got the typical guy who comes here and never has lived anywhere else except his home nation and this one, and can only differentiate between those two’s mentality.

Prosecutors to reopen probe into ex-PM Abe's dinner spending scandal :

Abe might have been involved in scandal, yet one reckons he would have made a better premier for Japan than lackluster Suga if he did not quit early..

I would guess this is timed so that just before the elections they Prosecutors can declare 'We have found no evidence of wrong doing'; Clearing Abe's name and allowing citizens' lingering concerns to be forgotten and thus continue to vote for the LDP. Throw Suga under the bus for the crisis he has created, and Abe is the only one left standing. 'I regretfully accept the nations calling'. *smirk.

Uphold him for his crime!

Personally I think Abe, AKA Mario really pulls off a very innocent face. Those sad pouting eyes, eyebrows raised in resignation. Poor man.

99.9 conviction rate, but they only indict and arrest those they know they can win hands down. All others left alone. That is why it is 99.9

His secretaries will face the shame, charges and be fined. Abe will slide a brown envelope with cash to them to help out, and GoToEat coupons included.

He’s the richest politician in Japan. Nothing will happen.

They should investigate the prosecutors office and fire those that decided not pursue this case.

One rule for them and another for us.

Politics. Just politics. It's simply political mudslinging from the opposition. Nothing will come of this other than wasted time, energy and money.

How dare people revisit the antics of Botchan. Our Dear Leader is untouchable!

He should be on trial for lots of different things.

But odds are an under assistant secretary of some minor department peripheral to anything connected to Abe and his LDP cronies will end up getting blamed and docked pay. Assuming an investigation is actually done.

A good move.

The LDP needs to be kept out of politics.

He should be on trial for lots of different things.

It seems like the only thing Abe ever did well was wining and fine dining.

No wonder his guts are constantly playing up.

What’s the difference?

Nothing will happen to Abe anyways. The same as usual.

thepersoniamnowToday 07:53 am JST

Tora

To assume that Japanese people have no idea whats going on, or their own opinions (“easily accepting oblivious” your words) its a bit insulting.

Sorry, I should have been clearer: The Japanese public accept anything that is shoved down their throats.

this guy and his party are a bunch of corrupt bluebloods in a cesspool that is Japanese politics. I hope they throw the book at him, but like Hiro said Ain't gonna happen. The J-gov created a system that is neither just nor fair and is certainly undemocratic.

But what do you expect from a government that was founded by CIA Slush funds and Yak money? Really, what do you expect?

Arrogant Abe is the poster boy for corruption in Japanese politics. The prosecution must bring him to justice for the sake of the country's self-respect and its vaunted standing as Asia's most "democratic" nation. Since the LDP has shown itself incapable of cleaning out its own stables, the prosecutors now have the heavy responsibility of saving the voters from themselves by showing that "justice" in Japan also applies to those who imagine they rule over the nation with Olympian impunity from "above the clouds".

@Yubaru, we all know Abe is gonna be fine. So i don't get why they even bother and waste the tax payer money.

Is like the case of Trump. Everyone knows that it was impossible to charge him, but they still wasted years of time going after him. Only to have most of the charges drop and witnesses take back their testimonies.

Do you seriously believe they actually has a chance to pin a dinner reception on him and his party would throw him under the bus? Let's be real. It ain't gonna happen. So is a completely waste of time to open another investigation. Is just a show. Nobody in Japan expect anything out of it.

You might not like it, but Japan goverment work under a system. If you try to go against the system, everyone involve will feel the consequences and would not allow you to shake that foundation. Even the opposition will not go through with it. They merely want to smear his name and create some bad PR, but even they do not dare to take it too far because one day they will also face similar situations, so they need each other.

In my opinion, this guy is as corrupt as they come.

This scandal is peanuts compared to other events in Abe's back catalogue. Let's not forget the blood he has on his hands following the 2018 suicide of Toshio Akagi who was pressured into covering up the Moritomo Gakuen scandal - which was all about protecting yet another alleged corrupt activity of this self entitled charlatan.

Don't the prosecutors have better things to do? They must have been very bored these days.

So, you are in effect stating that you have no problem with elected officials not being held accountable for their actions?

Hmmm... he SHOULD be detained, at the minimum, for betraying the public trust!

Tora

To assume that Japanese people have no idea whats going on, or their own opinions (“easily accepting oblivious” your words) its a bit insulting.

Do you really think you know something that others dont?

Don't the prosecutors have better things to do? They must have been very bored these days.

He is not a crook, he just has the pedigree of a pure blood and is not to be soiled by such things as laws, justice. He is above that as are his friends. Apart from the lower netherworld regions problem. The man is a perfect example of a virile action orientated man that Japan needs so badly right now.

Saw this on NHK. They said they found not enough evidence of activities that slukd warrant moving forward with prosecution this time and would open one more final investigation. After that one, if the still found nothing, then he's off the hook and they are closing it. He replied (almost smirking) that he'd cooperate fully. He knows (and the prosecutors know) and we know that this means he is going to get off scot-free and then prepare for his comeback. The Japanese public are so easily acceptingly oblivious it is sickening. The guy is an absolute crook.

Then why has'nt Abe been arrested?

Prosecutors will reopen an investigation into former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over his camp's spending of millions of yen for dinner receptions held for supporters after an inquest body decided that prosecutors' earlier decision not to indict him was inappropriate, according to the body's statement released Friday.

After he resign last year he try to get back again to spotlight, so let's see how this investigation result.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/02/16/national/tokyo-olympics-mori-replacements/

Let’s see what happens here. My guess it’s way to confusing for the prosecutors.