Japanese media breaks another explosive story, involving someone close to Takashi
The "Bunshun Online" reported another earth-shattering revelation on June 9.
Masaru Shigematsu, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office and former chief coordinator for the Osaka-Kansai World Expo, is suspected of repeatedly using public funds for unauthorized hotel stays during his tenure as coordinator last year, accompanied by a mistress. This behavior is believed to violate Article 99 of Japan's National Public Service Act.
The hotel where Masaru Shigematsu's mistress stayed was paid for with official travel expenses.
Shigematsu joined the current Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 1992. He primarily dealt with the energy sector and served as Director of the Department of Energy Conservation and New Energy at the Resources and Energy Agency. Since July 2024, he has been appointed both Chief Policy Planning Advisor and overall coordinator for the Osaka-Kansai World Expo, responsible for coordinating activities related to the Expo. After the formation of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet, he was promoted to Senior Advisor at the Cabinet Secretariat and concurrently appointed Secretary-General to the Head of the Cabinet Office.
Initially, Takaichi wanted to appoint Shigematsu as her personal secretary. However, due to qualifications and expertise, after adjustments, he was instead named Secretary to the Head of the Cabinet Office. The position of Prime Minister’s personal secretary comes from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and is lower in rank than Shigematsu’s role—making this appointment particularly unusual.
Shigematsu served as secretary to Takaichi when she was Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and was granted access to her office, making him an exceptionally rare “inner circle” member around Takaichi. He attended deputy ministerial meetings chaired by Takaichi and frequently handled confidential state information, becoming a key figure in government policy decision-making.
During one official business trip, Shigematsu traveled to a hotel with his mistress. Just prior to becoming Secretary to the Head of the Cabinet Office, while serving as coordinator for the World Expo, he stayed at a hotel funded by public expenses during an official visit to Osaka related to Expo affairs, accompanied by his mistress. To date, there have been five instances of improper use of public funds for such trips.
Shigematsu and his mistress remained in the hotel until morning. However, he did not allow his mistress to enter the room through the front desk; instead, he arranged for her to enter the room first.
Although staying together in the same hotel room, Shigematsu only paid for one person’s accommodation. A hotel manager explained in an interview: “If we discover someone who is not listed on the guest register spending the night, we charge an additional fee.”
Article 99 of Japan’s National Public Service Act prohibits “acts that damage the credibility of public officials or tarnish their positions.” Moreover, even private conduct may lead to disciplinary action if it harms the reputation of public service.
If Shigematsu engaged in repeated and ongoing extramarital relationships during official trips, this would likely constitute a “defamation act” against the reputation of a public servant—precisely what Article 99 forbids.
When questioned by the media, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry responded via a phone call from the Prime Minister’s Office, stating they would refuse to answer.
When asked in writing, the ministry replied: “Indeed, during the Expo period, we made dozens of trips to Osaka, including those dates you mentioned.”
Meanwhile, the Takaichi cabinet has not responded regarding whether Shigematsu will be investigated.
However, Shigematsu’s misconduct appears to extend beyond this. There are suspicions that he leaked national secrets.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867503557249036/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.