It is hard not to find this puzzling. What explains Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s failure to directly address allegations that her campaign posted defamatory videos targeting rival candidates on social media during elections?

Her evasive posture in dealing with the allegations has become a political liability in its own right—and increasingly hard to ignore.

The controversy began with a report in late April in the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun. The magazine published the account of a man who claims he exchanged messages with one of Takaichi’s aides during both the February Lower House election and the Liberal Democratic Party’s 2025 leadership race, and that videos intended to smear her rivals were........

© The Asahi Shimbun