Japanese minister under fire over sex bar ‘expenses’

Just days after the resignation of two scandal-tainted ministers, another Japanese cabinet member is under fire – for links to a sex bar.

Media reports say economy, trade and industry minister Yoichi Miyazawa reported a bill of about 18,000 yen (€132) for a session at the S&M bar as "entertainment expenses".

The bill was buried inside a report on the use of political funds by Mr Miyazawa's support group, according to Japan's conservative Sankei newspaper. The group denies that the minister himself visited the bar in Hiroshima in September 2010.

Mr Miyazawa has only just replaced Yuko Obuchi, who stepped down on Monday after her use of political funds also came under scrutiny. Media reports say Ms Obuchi's support group illegally spent millions of yen on theatre tickets, cosmetics and baby goods.

Justice minister Midori Matsushima announced she was falling on her sword the same day. Ms Matsushima's supporters had given hundreds of paper fans to supporters at election rallies, violating campaign fund laws.

S&M bars typically provide “live shows in which female hostesses use ropes and whips on customers in various stages of undress,” says the blog Tokyo Reporter.

Mr Miyazawa, (64), is a nephew of former prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa, who was himself forced to quit in 1988 amid an insider trading and corruption probe.

The latest media claims are more unwelcome news for prime minister Shinzo Abe, who lost several cabinet members to money scandals during his first stint in office in 2006 -'07. Mr Abe quit then after just a year in power.

Mr Miyazawa is in charge of the difficult task of restarting the nation’s nuclear reactors, which are all offline following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Opinion polls show most Japanese want an alternative to nuclear power.

His brief also covers tortuous negotiations with the US and other leading powers over a giant trade deal. The government says talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade accord are in the final stages.

Mr Abe has enjoyed a charmed political run since returning to power in late 2012 and has already lasted twice as long as most of his most recent predecessors. But storm clouds are gathering.

Several other ministers, including Akinori Eto, in charge of defence, also face questions about their use of political funds. "The fact that these stories have come out, even in conservative outlets, is indeed an indication that Abe's iron grip on power is loosening," says Koichi Nakano, a political scientist at Sophia University in Tokyo. "Abe does look much more vulnerable now."

The resignations of two female cabinet ministers has already wounded the government’s plan to boost the participation of women in politics. And his government is bracing for bad news in the latest quarterly reports on the economy, following its unpopular decision to hike the sales tax.

But Japan’s opposition is divided and in disarray, so Mr Abe is likely to tough it out.