Politician suspended for hiding his identity from lover

With a few notable and noble exceptions, politicians are mostly on the fiddle or on the pull, their hands in the expenses till or around some girl’s body. It’s a story as old as the hills and pretty much the same in any country, including Japan.

You might think that any politician from the Democratic Party for the People might be a bit more cautious after the leader, Yuichiro Tamaki, was caught having a long-term affair with a gravure model, but temptation plays to a different tune.

The party was forced to punish Masaki Hiraiwa, indefinitely suspending him after allegations emerged of his extramarital affair. Many noted that his punishment is more severe than leader Tamaki’s, who was suspended from his position for three months, though this is because the 45-year-old deceived the woman by using a false name and concealing the fact that he is married.

Hiraiwa published details on his website last week about his deception and affair, which took place four years ago. The party then acted swiftly to suspend him the following time, noting that his actions violate political ethics and damages the party’s honor and credibility (whatever is left of it after Tamaki’s actions, that is).

Hiraiwa was elected for the first time in last year’s House of Representatives election in the proportional representation block. Before that, he had served on the assembly of Kaizuka, a small city in Osaka.

In an interview with NHK, Hiraiwa said, “I sincerely regret having acted foolishly. I would like to accept the party’s punishment seriously. I will consult with those around me and consider what is the appropriate way to take responsibility.”

Secretary-General Kazuya Shimba did not mince his words: “He used a false name to deceive others, so his responsibility is heavy. It was pointed out that he may have violated the law, so we have swiftly suspended his party membership.”

It is not clear why Hiraiwa chose to reveal the allegations himself at this point, but perhaps the woman in question was about to spill the beans to a tabloid and he had to get the jump on that, and then face the music for his actions.

If he’s suspended, it means he can kiss goodbye to a chance at being on the PR block at the next election, so he has non choice but to run as an independent and hope he gets elected on his own merit.