The prime minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, has had to fire his own son after public uproar at leaked pictures of a family party held in the PM’s official residence. The offending pictures showed Shotaro Kishida, who worked as an adviser to his father, posing with relatives on the red-carpeted steps usually reserved for official pictures of the Cabinet. In others, family members are standing and gesticulating at a “Prime Minister of Japan” podium as if giving a news conference. The Guardian reported that Fumio Kishida himself welcomed the guests to the “forget the year” party on Dec. 30 last year, but played no further part. Shotaro Kishida, a 32-year-old former trader, had worked for his father since 2020. “As secretary for [my] political affairs, a public position, his actions were inappropriate and I decided to replace him to have him take responsibility,” the PM said late Monday. “Of course, responsibility for the appointment lies with me.” The row comes as a blow to Kishida, who had reportedly been toying with calling a snap election after a recent poll rise following his hosting of the G7 summit and an apparent attempt on his life at a campaign speech last month.
