This essay, dated November 22, 2019, is based on an article by Rui Abiru in the Sankei Shimbun.
It introduces documents showing that, under the former Democratic Party government, the “Cherry Blossom Viewing Party” was treated as an opportunity to invite supporters.
It discusses the contradiction of opposition lawmakers attacking the Abe administration and the boomerang nature of their pursuit.

November 22, 2019.
The following is from an article by Rui Abiru, the finest active reporter of our time, published in yesterday’s Sankei Shimbun under the title “The Former Democratic Party’s Electoral Use of the Cherry Blossom Viewing Party.”
When the political operators of the opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party, began yet another attack on Prime Minister Abe with false accusations lower than those of yakuza, I immediately thought that they had exactly the same brains as the people of the Korean Peninsula.
In other words, they have brains with the mental circuitry that assumes that what they themselves are doing, the other side must be doing as well, and that what they themselves are thinking, the other side must be thinking too.
The following is from an article by Rui Abiru, the finest active reporter of our time, published in yesterday’s Sankei Shimbun under the title “The Former Democratic Party’s Electoral Use of the Cherry Blossom Viewing Party.”
Are they perhaps pretending to be the protagonist of the period novel Hatamoto Taikutsu Otoko, which was also adapted into a television drama, and proudly calling the scar from a boomerang that has stabbed them straight in the face “the officially sanctioned forward-facing wound”?
On the 20th, Jun Azumi, Diet Affairs Committee chairman of the Constitutional Democratic Party, emphasized the following to reporters about this year’s April “Cherry Blossom Viewing Party.”
“It has become clear that the Cherry Blossom Viewing Party, held with public funds, was used for the election activities of the Liberal Democratic Party and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
We want to thoroughly question whether using tax money for that is really permissible.”
“An opportunity to invite supporters.”
Regarding this issue, in this column dated the 14th, I pointed out that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of the Democratic Party administration at the time had spent 28 minutes at the venue taking photographs with members of his own support group and others.
I also published a comment by Takashi Nagao, former Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Cabinet Office and now an LDP member, who belonged to the Democratic Party at the time, saying that party headquarters had instructed him to use it to consolidate his support group, and that he had also submitted a list of his support group.
Despite this, Mr. Azumi’s forceful remarks are now beyond comprehension.
Therefore, this time I would like to introduce a copy of a certain document, shown in the photograph, that I obtained in the course of my reporting.
It is a notice titled “Regarding the Submission of Lists of Invitees to the ‘Cherry Blossom Viewing Party,’” issued on February 23, 2012, during the Yoshihiko Noda cabinet of the Democratic Party, under the name of the party’s General Affairs Committee chairman, and addressed to “all Diet members belonging to the party.”
It states as follows.
“This time it will be the ‘Cherry Blossom Viewing Party’ under Prime Minister Noda, and it will be an excellent opportunity to invite your supporters and others together with their spouses.”
It openly instructs them to invite supporters.
According to a veteran secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party, “I do not know about the very old days, but the LDP has never issued such a document.”
If this is not what Mr. Azumi calls “using it for election activities,” then what is it?
The document also states that “invitations are in principle to be made by married-couple units,” and clearly specifies the invitation quota.
“The number of invitees per Diet member shall be up to four persons, or eight entrants.”
According to both houses of the Diet, when the ordinary Diet session was convened in January 2012, the number of lawmakers belonging to the Democratic Party caucus in both houses totaled 398.
By simple calculation, the Diet member quota would amount to nearly 3,200 people.
There is no other way to describe the sight of current opposition lawmakers from that Democratic Party background glaring fiercely as they criticize the Abe administration than bizarre.
The same wording also under the Kan cabinet.
The Democratic Party document was also painstakingly detailed, listing six items of instructions for filling in the list, including “Do not enter anything in the recommending organization field.
It will be the Democratic Party.”
Since this document was distributed to all Diet members, there must be quite a few lawmakers who remember it.
I also feel a sense of incongruity about the fact that these people are keeping their mouths shut.
In fact, a document with almost the same wording was also issued on February 18, 2011, under the Naoto Kan cabinet.
Under the Kan cabinet, the “Cherry Blossom Viewing Party” was ultimately cancelled because of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and under the Noda cabinet it was cancelled after North Korea announced a long-range ballistic missile launch test.
Nevertheless, there can be little doubt that they were fully intent on using it for election activities.
Editorial writer and political department editorial committee member.