Suga’s PR chief resigns after meal tied to broadcaster

Category: Top Stories

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. grill / grɪl / (v) – to ask someone a lot of difficult questions continuously for a long time
    Example:

    Annie was grilled by her parents when she came home after midnight.


  2. cronyism / ˈkroʊ niˌɪz əm / (n) – the practice in which a powerful person gives important jobs or positions to friends instead of qualified people
    Example:

    Many people think the senator is guilty of cronyism because his wife and closest friends are part of his staff.


  3. plum / plʌm / (adj) – extremely desirable
    Example:

    Jerry was able to get a plum job as a reporter for the country’s leading TV network.


  4. hard to come by / hɑrd tə kʌm baɪ / (idiom) – difficult to get or find
    Example:

    Affordable housing is hard to come by these days.


  5. lavish / ˈlæv ɪʃ / (adj) – expensive or impressive
    Example:

    Her mom threw her a lavish party for her 18th birthday.


Article

Read the text below.

The public relations chief for Japan’s prime minister has resigned after she acknowledged she had a ¥70,000 dinner paid for by a broadcaster.


Makiko Yamada had been grilled recently by opposition lawmakers in the Diet about the 2019 dinner and had been scheduled to answer more questions March 1.


Yamada’s job included the responsibility of picking reporters to ask questions at Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s news conferences.


The broadcaster in question, Tohokushinsha Film Corp., employs Suga’s eldest son. That has raised suspicions of cronyism in a nation where plum jobs are often hard to come by without connections.


Accepting lavish wining and dining is a violation of regulations overseeing bureaucrats’ ethics. The ministry officials allegedly accepted several such dinners, as well as cab fares.


Other ministry bureaucrats reportedly at the dinner have been penalized. The president of Tohokushinsha resigned in February.


Government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told the Diet on March 1 that Yamada resigned. She was hospitalized for two weeks for an illness and can’t carry on her duties, and Suga accepted the resignation, Kato said. Details of her sickness were not given. (AP)


This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you think it was right for Yamada and the president of Tohokushinsha to resign? Why or why not? Discuss.
• In your opinion, where’s the border between regular wining and dining and “lavish” wining and dining? Why? Discuss.

Discussion B

• Do you think there should be more laws against cronyism in your country? Why or why not? Discuss.
• In your opinion, is it okay to hire or work with family and friends as long as they’re qualified, or is it better to avoid it entirely? Why? Discuss.