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Japan 'staged' ministerial forums Forums row spurs Japan PM pay cut
(about 7 hours later)
Japan's government paid members of the public to ask questions at meetings designed to allow ministers to hear what people though of their policies. Japan's PM Shinzo Abe says he will work unpaid for the next 90 days, after it emerged that officials had paid people to ask questions at public meetings.
At some of the events, called town hall meetings, government officials even pretended to be ordinary people and questioned their bosses. The government inquiry also found that at some of the meetings - held over the past five years - officials had pretended to be ordinary people.
The revelations are embarrassing for the government. Mr Abe, a cabinet minister at the time, was responsible for such meetings.
So too for the cabinet minister who was responsible for the programme - Shinzo Abe, Japan's new prime minister. He said that as a way of assuming responsibility, he would return his salary for the next three months.
For the cynics who believe that when any politician meets the public it is all stage managed and choreographed, the news that the Japanese have been doing it will come as no surprise. The cabinet office investigation said Japan's government under former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid member of the public to ask questions to hear what people thought of their policies.
Town hall meetings were introduced by the then Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, five years ago. The revelations are embarrassing for the government and Mr Abe, the BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo says.
They were supposed to be a new, more open forum for discussion between ministers and voters. For the cynics who believe that when any politician meets the public it is all stage-managed and choreographed, the news that the Japanese have been doing it will come as no surprise, our correspondent says.
He adds that the events, called town hall meetings, were supposed to be a new, more open forum for discussion between ministers and voters.
High costHigh cost
But a government inquiry has found that officials coached people to make sure they asked ministers what the government wanted them to. But the inquiry found that officials coached people to make sure they asked ministers what the government wanted them to.
In some cases they actually paid people to question ministers, or pretended to be members of the public and questioned their bosses themselves.In some cases they actually paid people to question ministers, or pretended to be members of the public and questioned their bosses themselves.
The people in charge focused on the outward appearance rather than the original purpose of the town hall meetings, the inquiry's report says. The people in charge focused on the outward appearance rather than the original purpose of the town hall meetings, the inquiry's report said.
It will fan suspicions that public opinion was misled in order to promote government policy. It will fan suspicions that public opinion was misled in order to promote government policy, our correspondent says.
And it does not stop there. But he says the report does not stop there.
The cost of these meetings, more than $188,000 (£95,000) each when they started, was high enough.The cost of these meetings, more than $188,000 (£95,000) each when they started, was high enough.
But it turns out that, on a number of occasions, officials padded the bills to suggest more government limousines were used than were actually needed to transport the VIPs.But it turns out that, on a number of occasions, officials padded the bills to suggest more government limousines were used than were actually needed to transport the VIPs.