FILE PHOTO: Yoshihide Suga, Japan鈥檚 prime minister, speaks during a joint news conference with Scott Morrison, Australia鈥檚 prime minister at Suga鈥檚 official residence in Tokyo, Japan November 17, 2020. Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via REUTERS
TOKYO鈥� Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has drawn criticism for joining year-end get-togethers after begging the public to avoid parties as the country grapples with record numbers of coronavirus cases.
Suga became prime minister in September but he has not enjoyed much of a honeymoon as public frustration grows with rising coronavirus infections and several wrangles that have begun to raise questions about how long he might keep the job.
Despite warning the public to shun big gatherings, Suga has attended several over the past week, stirring criticism on social media and from politicians, including from allies in his coalition.
鈥淲hile asking people for self-restraint, they鈥檙e eating high-end steaks and living it up,鈥� opposition member of parliament Jun Azumi told reporters, referring to a Monday dinner at a top Tokyo steak house that Suga attended.
鈥淧ublic support can collapse,鈥� Azumi said.
One of those who attended the dinner, 76-year-old actor Ryotaro Sugi, told reporters outside the restaurant it was a 鈥測ear-end party鈥� and they had discussed baseball.
Suga has not explained the steak dinner, one of several gatherings he joined recently, but government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said the government took seriously criticism that Suga鈥檚 activities had 鈥渃aused misunderstanding鈥� among the public.
鈥淚t is important to make individual decisions based on a balance between the purposes of group meals and infection control measures,鈥� Kato told a regular news conference.
More worrying for the prime minister might be veiled criticism from the ruling party鈥檚 junior partner, Komeito, with their relations already under pressure over a dispute about medical bills for the elderly.
鈥淭he prime minister鈥檚 schedule sends a message to the people, so I鈥檇 like to see due consideration,鈥� said Komeito party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi.
A source close to Komeito was more blunt: 鈥淭here鈥檚 a growing chasm,鈥� between the parties, the source, who declined to be identified, told Reuters.
The prime minister this week was forced to make a U-turn over a government travel subsidy program aimed at supporting domestic tourism and helping small businesses that he had long defended.
Critics have blamed the program for encouraging travel that has helped spread the coronavirus around Japan. Suga suspended it over the year-end holidays.