Scandal erupts over scantily-clad dancers at ruling party’s event

Images of scantily-clad dancers entertaining Japan’s ruling elite has sparked a scandal, with the Prime Minister forced to respond.

A scandal involving the ruling party and scantily-clad dancers has reached boiling point in Japan.

It’s emerged that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has a majority in the National Diet - Japan’s parliament - organised an event being described as “highly inappropriate and most regrettable” by Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

At the event women from the Osaka and Kyoto-based Glamor Dancers troupe wore swimwear and sat on the laps of men.

They also used their lip to receive banknotes hanging from the mouths of the men in attendance.

Mr Kishida was grilled by politicians on Wednesday about the gathering.

Images were leaked from the event in November. It had been organised by a regional chapter of the LDP.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the event “highly inappropriate and most regrettable”. Picture: Twitter

The dancers were hired to ensure ‘diversity’, according to one of the organisers. Picture: Twitter

One of the organisers, Tetsuya Kawabata, later sought to defend the event by saying that the presence of the “go-go dancers” were intended to ensure “diversity”.

“We invited the dancers after studying from various viewpoints, including whether it matches the theme of diversity,” Mr Kawabata, deputy head of the local LDP youth wing, told broadcaster ANN.

“However, the excitement that ensued, particularly towards the end of the social gathering, exceeded my expectations,” media quoted Mr Kawabata as saying. He later resigned from the party.

The LDP’s nationwide youth wing on Monday apologised and said that two MPs who attended were stepping down from their posts in the Youth Bureau, but will remain party members and politicians.

Japan's Prime Minister and LDP president Fumio Kishida. Picture: AFP

The episode is embarrassing for the LDP, which has governed almost uninterrupted for decades, as it seeks to get more women into the male-dominated world of politics.

Mr Kishida in September increased the number of women in his 20-strong cabinet to five, a joint record for Japan.

Grilled by opposition MPs on Wednesday about the scandal, Mr Kishida said on Wednesday that the event “doesn’t match the cabinet’s goal of diversity”.

“What my cabinet seeks is an inclusive society where all people feel the meaning of life with their dignity and diversity respected,” local media quoted him as saying.

His government’s approval ratings are at their worst level since the LDP returned to power in 2012 with voters angry about inflation and a string of other scandals, most notably one about kickbacks from fundraising events.

Mr Kishida, in office since October 2021, is due to face a tough internal LDP leadership election battle in late 2024 ahead of national polls due by 2025.

- with AFP

Originally published as Scandal erupts over scantily-clad dancers at ruling party’s event