Vice minister's use of official car for daycare sparks controversy

Hell at least she HAS daycare!

Kaneko, who is parliamentary vice minister of internal affairs and communications, argued that there is not an issue as the nursery, Kids Square Nagatacho, is in the same building as her office.

The only other thing you could say is that the child should not even be riding in the car.

But lets be a bit more realistic... she was taking her child to daycare so she could work, the daycare is conveneintly in the same building. Win/win situation for this women and a great use of time/taxpayer money.

Hell at least she HAS daycare!

If her child is at Kids Square, it means that she was unable to get daycare from her ward office. Kids Square is far more expensive than city or ward subsidized daycare, but I am sure that as a vice minister, much of her out-of-pocket cost is reimbursed.

"But she pledged to cease doing so, saying she would take him there by stroller instead."

If it's that simple, the car should not have been used for that purpose. However, if it was indeed in the same building and the child was being dropped off while she went to work (and picked up when she went home), and not just dropped off even when she was not on her way in the same car, then I see no problem with it.

Bah! What a load of fuss about nothing. It's even more ridiculous because the facility is in the same building as her work.

Crack down on amakudari, not on trivial expenses like this.

One would think that with all the problems posed by the LDP, the Democratic Party would have something more important to complain about.

Honestly, Renho, get your priorities straight.

You wanna chase working mom's getting their kids to day care or you want to tackle bigger issues like taking down Abe and the LDP?

As long as politicians are known to be Senseis it will continue like daily tea. Just to understand that they use our taxes for their living needs...well, if Japanese people think it's normal as much it is and will be, no remedy....

parliamentary dormitory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man they have it good. They don't even pay for their housing?

If her child is at Kids Square, it means that she was unable to get daycare from her ward office. Kids Square is far more expensive than city or ward subsidized daycare, but I am sure that as a vice minister, much of her out-of-pocket cost is reimbursed.

And you have a crystal ball that tells you a Diet member actually applied for daycare and was turned down and was forced to choose private day care that is in the same building she works in?

I don't suppose you see the illogical point you attempted to make.

If her child is at Kids Square, it means that she was unable to get daycare from her ward office. 

One other thing, and this is so no one here gets the wrong idea about this issue.

There is no requirement, no law, no nothing, that demands that a working parent has to get daycare through their ward, or municipal office.

People are 100% free to use whatever facilities are available. And while private facilities often cost more, there are times when they are actually cheaper, paying for public daycare, for the most part, is based upon the income of the parent(s) or guardian. Meaning if someone has a high income they are going to pay many times more, for public daycare, than private daycare.

This woman is a vice-minister, she ain't poor, she can afford Kid's Square.

Me thinks there are other politician misdeeds that we should all be worrying about than this. I can certainly emphasize with her, especially given that using the car in that context allowed her more time to effectively balance life and do her job.

Agree, more importance things to focus on.

Of course many of the JT-posters who have little good to say about Japan love it.

If her child is at Kids Square, it means that she was unable to get daycare from her ward office.

No it doesn't. There is the possibility that she was unable to get daycare from her ward office, but many people put their kids in private daycare by choice. And depending on her salary, public daycare may have been even more expensive than private daycare.

So let me get this straight, she would walk from her dormitory to the daycare to drop off her son, which happens to be in the same building as her office. Then she would walk back to the dorm and then take her official car to the office. I don't have a problem with her using the car to transport her and her child to the daycare and office, when they are in the same place. Why Renho is attacking another woman over something trivial as this, just seems spiteful, and it is not going to get you one more vote. It seems that Minshinto is only looking for "gotcha" ideas, to try and topple the government, but it won't work.

Had the car driven a male politician to a "meeting" with "constituents" in a "restaurant" then this would be a non-story. At least I assume that to be the case, as I have never read about such a scandal despite knowing for a fact that it happens on a daily basis.

@Educator60

How would anyone learn anything in that case? Good to know.