A series of scandals and other problems have hit the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and lawmakers of his Liberal Democratic Party, and appear to have started shaking the Abe administration.
We might laugh off politicians who exhibit their ignorance or shameful acts. What cannot be condoned, however, is a statement by Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi, who oversees the broadcast industry. She told the Diet that the government may order TV stations to halt their broadcast transmission if they have aired what is considered to be unfair news reporting in their programs. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe endorsed this position. This is an unprecedented attempt to intimidate the broadcast media.
Nobody is happy to come under criticism. People in power, however, need to part with that sort of self-love. Power can occasionally become corrupt and run wild, thus posing a threat to people's lives and freedom. It is therefore the destiny of those in power that they become the subject of criticism.