On October 22nd, local time, the Japanese news website J-CAST reported that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Kuroki's absence from the G7 online summit has sparked widespread criticism. Japanese media revealed that Kuroki attended a dinner with senior Liberal Party officials that night and drank alcohol. This led to further speculation about her being absent from the meeting due to intoxication, and the level of criticism increased accordingly.
In early October, French President Macron called a video conference of the G7 leaders to discuss the global energy market situation. The meeting was held at 9:30 p.m. that evening. Yoshihiko Endo, the Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister, attended the meeting on behalf of Japan, while Yoshiro Koizumi was absent.
After the controversy arose, Gao initially posted an explanation on social media X, stating that this was a meeting arranged by France, the rotating chair of the organization, and that representatives were allowed to attend in place of the actual participants. She also defended herself by citing the absence of British Prime Minister Burnham and European Council President Costa. At that time, she did not provide any specific reasons for their absence.
However, later, the Japanese media Kyodo News reported that about an hour and a half before the G7 summit began, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., Takumi held a dinner at the prime minister’s residence with high-ranking party officials such as Taro Aso, the vice chairman of the Liberal Party. According to those who attended, alcohol was served during the dinner, and Takumi also drank alcohol.
At the Senate Budget Committee meeting on the 16th, Governor Takahashi admitted that he had dinner with Shinzo Abe and other senior members of the Liberal Democratic Party that evening. However, he stated that “this has nothing to do with whether he would attend the G7 summit.” He also said that during the time he was absent, he was writing a speech on his policy guidelines.
During the parliamentary defense, Gao also argued that the meeting was decided by the rotating chairmanship country of France "on a temporary basis and notified on the same day," resulting in a failure to prepare the necessary communication environment for the online meeting in time. Additionally, she emphasized that the meeting mainly focused on energy and diesel prices between the United States and Europe, and stated that it was not inappropriate for representatives to attend.
J-CAST pointed out that Takashi’s excuses were quickly criticized by many parties. The Hokkaido Shimbun reported on the 22nd that the French Presidential Office responded by saying, “In fact, they had informed about the date for the meeting several days ago.” A person from the Japanese Prime Minister’s office was angry at Takashi’s claims, saying, “It’s impossible not to have prepared the communication environment; she never intended to attend this meeting from the beginning.” The Asahi Shimbun also quoted a Japanese government official, stating that the French side had informed Japan at least early in the morning that an online meeting would be held in the evening.
Japanese media noted that among the many voices criticizing high-ranking officials for being "liars," Japanese renowned author and Akutagawa Prize winner Keiichi Hirano posted an angry statement on social media platform X on the 22nd. He said, "Do government officials really prepare such absurd excuses for her? As usual, isn't this just the prime minister's wild fabrication? Being absent from the G7 summit due to drinking is unprecedented. She has no choice but to resign."
On the previous day (the 21st), Hirono also criticized Koichi through social media, saying, "There are reports that the Japanese side received notice in the morning. If she cannot clear her suspicion of being absent due to drinking, she should resign from her position as Prime Minister."
