The government will not hold a publicly funded cherry blossom-viewing event next year, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday, after criticism that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has used it to entertain his supporters.
Suga emphasized that the decision had been made by Abe himself.
The opposition bloc has taken issue with Abe over the annual event, held every April at a Tokyo park since 1952 to honor people for their accomplishments. Under his administration, the number of guests and the amount of money spent by the government on the gathering have risen.