Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday that his elder son Shotaro, who serves as his executive secretary, will step down from the post on Thursday amid growing criticism of his inappropriate behavior, Japanese media reported on Monday.
As the coordination related to the G7 Summit in Hiroshima is over and in view of the upcoming closure of the parliamentary session in June, Kishida decided to relieve Shotaro, who was criticized for inappropriate behavior and sparked allegations of nepotism against Kishida, of his duties starting June 1, the Kyodo News said.
“Of course, the responsibility for the appointment lies with me. I take it seriously,” Kishida was quoted as saying.
Shotaro Kishida has become an object of popular discontent on numerous occasions since his appointment in October.
Earlier in May, a Japanese weekly magazine reported that during a party at the prime minister’s residence last year, Shotaro posed for photographs with his relatives on a red carpet staircase and in other symbolic locations traditionally used for photoshoots of the Japanese Cabinet upon authorization by the Emperor, which was seen as disrespectful.
In January, while accompanying the prime minister in his visits to the G7 member states in the run-up to the Summit in Hiroshima, Shotaro was criticized for using a government car for going sightseeing and shopping in London, Paris, and Ottawa.
