TOKYO: Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Tuesday that he received a souvenir from Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio that was bought by Kishida’s eldest son, Shotaro, a secretary to the prime minister, during the father’s recent official overseas trip.

The top government spokesman revealed this at a press conference. But he refrained from disclosing what the gift was, saying that it is “a personal matter.”

Another cabinet minister received a tie from the prime minister, according to sources familiar with the matter.

A Japanese weekly magazine has reported that Shotaro used an official car for sightseeing and shopping for souvenirs while accompanying the prime minister on his tour of five North American and European countries in mid-January.

Among other cabinet members, industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and transport minister Tetsuo Saito have admitted receiving gifts from the prime minister, but declined to share details, saying that it is a private matter. Justice Minister Ken Saito has refused to disclose whether he received a souvenir, noting that it is not something related to the administration of legal affairs for which he is responsible.

On Monday, Kishida told a meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives that the souvenirs Shotaro purchased were for cabinet ministers and other people.

At a meeting of the same committee of the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, on Tuesday, Kishida said that souvenirs were purchased for all ministers with his own money and that Shotaro’s purchase of the goods fell within the official duties of a secretary to the prime minister.

Hiroshi Kajiyama, executive acting secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, sounded a warning. “It’s essential to act while having a sense that the people are always watching,” he told a press conference.

JIJI Press