Amidst issues surrounding the political funding party of the Liberal Democratic Party faction, allegations of covertly converting excessive kickbacks (refunds) from party ticket revenues have expanded to involve six key members of the largest LDP faction, the Seiwa Policy Research Council (Abe faction), in the scandal.

Source: Mainichi Shimbun

It’s news from December 9th. While browsing the news online during lunch on December 13th, I came across related news and decided to open it. The content was as depicted in the following photos. Brace yourself for a surprise.

Guess what!

There’s a politician in the Liberal Democratic Party named Pants Takagi⁉︎

I’ve never heard of it before. Moreover, ‘being followed’ Pants Takagi⁉︎ A special investigation targeting the apron secretary⁉︎ I can’t help but be curious.

Do you, everyone, know about this Pants Takagi?

I initially thought he must have made significant contributions to the underwear industry, but is it really possible that such a person is ‘being followed’?

And who is this Pants Takagi…?

Takagi Tsuyoshi (born January 16, 1956) is a Japanese politician and businessman. He is an 8-term member of the House of Representatives, affiliated with the Liberal Democratic Party, and served as the 58th Chairman of the LDP Parliamentary Affairs Committee. Throughout his career, he held various positions, including Representative Director of Takagi Shoji Co., Ltd., Chairman of the Council of the Japan Junior Chamber in the Hokuriku-Shinetsu region, Parliamentary Secretary for Defense, Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, and Minister of Reconstruction (5th term). He also served as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Administration (75th and 82nd terms) and Chairman of the Special Committee on Nuclear Power Issues.”

Source: wikipedia

The origin of the nickname ‘Pants’ Takagi is detailed on Wikipedia, but caution is advised as the content is lengthy.

In his 30s, Takagi was a habitual underwear thief and was caught in the act by the Fukui Prefectural Police, as reported in both ‘Shukan Shincho’ and ‘Shukan Bunshun,’ released on October 15, 2015. According to the victim’s sister, during that time, Takagi unilaterally harbored affection for a female bank teller at the Fukui Bank’s Tsuruga branch. He clandestinely created a duplicate key for her residence, intruded, and took underwear. Additionally, a neighbor who witnessed the intrusion reported that Takagi wore white gloves before breaking in, and after the intrusion, he removed the gloves. Suspicious, the neighbor made a note of his car’s license plate. The victim’s sister, informed by this witness, reported the incident to the police, leading to the identification of Takagi through the license plate information. However, due to concerns about causing trouble for Takagi’s workplace, expressed by the victim herself, and an apology from Takagi’s father, who was the mayor of Tsuruga at the time, the case was settled out of court, and the investigation concluded without prosecution. Additionally, during his time at Aoyama Gakuin University, Takagi was accused of taking the underwear of a woman he had previously dated during his visits home.

Takagi’s father, who was the mayor of Tsuruga at the time, requested the local media not to report on this incident. However, by 1996, ‘Zaikai Hokuriku’ had already covered the story, and the ‘Association for Nurturing Politicians with Common Sense’ distributed documents denouncing Takagi, making the issue widely known locally. The incident gained national attention in October 2015 when Takagi joined the third Abe Cabinet. In Fukui Prefecture, where ‘Shukan Shincho’ was released a day late (due to a Hokuriku three-prefecture agreement), the issue was reported in the October 16, 2015 edition. However, people rushed to buy all available copies as soon as the stores opened, causing unprecedented sellouts. Some stores imposed a purchase limit of one copy per person, but those attempting to hoard protested. In Tsuruga, the situation escalated to the point where police had to intervene. Bookstores received calls demanding they not reorder ‘Shukan Shincho’ and others asking to buy all existing copies. As a result, the magazine disappeared from Takagi’s local electoral district, making it difficult for local voters to access the article. Reports suggested that Takagi’s support group, at the behest of the support group, mobilized local companies and public institutions to participate in the ‘mobilization’ to buy up the magazines for ‘muzzling.’ This situation, coupled with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga’s suggestion of postponing the extraordinary session, reportedly influenced the parliamentary schedule. On October 16, 2015, Takagi’s subordinate, Deputy Minister of Reconstruction, Kenji Wakamatsu, pointed out, ‘The minister himself should explain as a politician,’ urging Takagi to fulfill his accountability. On the same day, when questioned about the matter at the Prime Minister’s Office, Takagi maintained a position of neither confirming nor denying, stating, ‘Today is not the appropriate place for such matters, so I will refrain from answering.’

On October 20, 2015, Takagi held a press conference addressing reports on female underwear theft by publications such as ‘Shukan Shincho,’ stating, ‘There are no such facts,’ and firmly denying any involvement. Initially, Takagi’s office responded to inquiries from ‘Shukan Bunshun’ with, ‘We’ve never heard of such a thing,’ claiming they were unaware of the rumors surrounding this matter. However, during a press conference on October 21, when asked by a reporter, ‘It’s a well-known story in the local area,’ Takagi acknowledged, ‘I know that various stories like that come up every election.’ He also denied reports of police interrogation, stating, ‘That did not happen.’

According to the ‘Nikkan Kenmin Fukui’ dated January 13, 2016, a former investigator from the Fukui Prefectural Police testified that ‘the theft is a fact.’ On August 22, 2016, Takashi Yamamoto, a member of the House of Representatives and the chairman of the Fukui Prefecture branch of the LDP, expressed reservations about endorsing Takagi in the next general election, stating, ‘We conducted an official investigation through the party headquarters on this suspicion,’ and ‘Even if a settlement has been reached, the fact of the arrest remains.’ Takagi’s office responded to these remarks with, ‘We don’t really understand.’ Exactly one year later, on January 13, 2017, following up on the ‘Nikkan Kenmin Fukui’ report, Yamamoto reaffirmed at a press conference at the Fukui Prefectural Office that Takagi’s arrest in the act was a fact. Despite the party’s internal investigation, Sato Tsutomu, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Administration, emphasized on January 18 that ‘we judge it as completely groundless,’ stating that the party did not recognize any investigation by the prefectural branch. On January 23, the LDP presented a unified view in the House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Administration, stating, ‘The party’s secretariat confirmed the facts with the prefectural branch, and there was no investigation by the prefectural branch on this matter.’ The party clarified that, ‘As far as the party is concerned, his statements, including those during his ministerial tenure, are everything.’

On August 31 of the same year, a letter using the seal of the Fukui Prefecture branch of the Liberal Democratic Party was sent to LDP members. The contents included a draft proposal for constitutional amendment to dissolve the merger of constituencies carried out in the House of Councillors election, an investigation report on Takagi’s underwear theft, and articles from local newspapers reported before and after the incident, as reported by Shukan Shincho. When Shukan Shincho contacted Yamamoto, he stated, ‘Certainly, I am responsible as the chairman of the prefectural branch, and there is no mistake in the sealed letter that was sent. As a starting point, because it is a big problem for Fukui Prefecture to be a target for constituency merging, it was decided to send a document opposing it. Furthermore, since it was sent at this timing, I wanted them to know that incorrect reports had been made about the prefectural branch’s investigation and wanted to correct it.’ He admitted to sending the letter. Regarding the underwear theft report, Yamamoto advised Takagi, ‘If it is not true, you should consider filing a lawsuit.’ It’s worth noting that Takagi has taken no action regarding the underwear theft reports.

It seems you have quite an interesting background. The appointment as the Minister of Reconstruction by the then Prime Minister likely required the experience of being completely torn down at least once.

Even if one makes unauthorized keys and trespasses, settling it with a private agreement seems to be the end of the story.

Having quite an interesting career, it seems.

Being appointed as the Minister of Reconstruction likely required experiencing being torn apart once, as that was the context of the prime minister’s personnel decisions at the time.

Well, even if he made unauthorized entry with a copied key, it seems to have ended in a settlement.

And what does an ‘apron secretary’ refer to?

Upon investigation, I found an interesting article lol

Secretary A has an excellent reputation. According to lawmakers who know her, they say, ‘She’s beautiful, friendly, and handles her work exceptionally well. She’s petite, with semi-long black hair. Despite being in her late forties, she looks ten years younger than her actual age. She often wears white or pink aprons in the office, leaving a lasting impression.’ The relationship with the minister is rumored to be ‘too close,’ adding to Minister Takagi’s discerning eye.

source: trend NEW blog

Pants Takagi, who shows us a modest smile, should not forget his role as a public figure.

Perhaps the lack of this awareness is why he didn’t include the kickback of around 10 million yen in his financial report this time?

Let me teach you a stylish way to live as a public figure.

When making decisions, for example, when faced with a choice between two options, choose the one that is more correct as a public figure, and by repeating this, you can lead a truly dignified life as a public person.

It’s never too late to start.

Good luck!”