Cabinet ministers defend Aso's nightly visits to luxury hotels

Oct 24 08:24 AM US/Eastern

TOKYO, Oct. 24 (AP) - (Kyodo) — Cabinet ministers came to Prime Minister Taro Aso's defense on Friday, rebutting criticism that their boss is indulging in an extravagant night life.

"He is not spending large amounts of money at luxury Japanese restaurants," internal affairs minister Kunio Hatoyama told reporters. Referring to the high-end hotel restaurants and bars that Aso has been frequenting at night, Hatoyama said, "They are in fact quite inexpensive. It's just a little bit more than drinking tea in a cafe."

Seiko Noda, state minister in charge of consumer affairs, said while it may be difficult to describe the premier as an average person given the amount of assets he owns, "Whether he is an average person or not, he should be given credit if he produces a policy that the people are satisfied with even a tiny bit."

Still, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura cautioned the prime minister, saying, "The prime minister of a country is closely watched by the people. I want him to keep that in mind."

The opposition camp on Friday continued to assail Aso about his lifestyle, with Yukio Hatoyama, secretary general of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, casting doubt on the wisdom of his younger brother, Kunio Hatoyama, who defended Aso's wining and dining in luxury hotels.

"His idea is out of sync with average people. I'm annoyed that if my younger brother is out of sync, people might think his elder brother is as well," Yukio Hatoyama said.

Touching on Aso's recent "fact-finding" visit to a local supermarket, the DPJ secretary general added, "It's just a pretense for the prime minister, who thinks bars in luxury hotels are inexpensive, to go to a supermarket and look at goods with high price tags."

Newspapers and TV stations have recently highlighted Aso's frequent evening visits to luxury hotels such as the Imperial Hotel and Hotel Okura in Tokyo for meetings and other functions.

Asked about his visits, Aso told reporters, "To me, I have the feeling that a hotel bar is a safe and inexpensive place to use when meeting many people."