'It's my style': Japan PM hits back at nightlife criticism
JAPAN: Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso on Wednesday hit back at
critics who questioned his nightly ventures to high-end bars and
restaurants when the country is on the verge of recession. "Fortunately,
I have money. I pay by myself," Aso, who is from an elite family, told
reporters in a forceful voice. "It's my style. I won't change it."
Since taking office in late September, Aso has regularly gone out for
dinner and drinks at restaurants and bars of luxury hotels in downtown
Tokyo with his close friends and aides.
He faced media ridicule on Sunday for spending hours at a restaurant
in the luxury Imperial Hotel just after going to a supermarket to chat
to voters about rising food prices.
But Aso said: "I think bars and restaurants at hotels are relatively
safe and inexpensive."
He argued that if he went to more modest places, he would face
criticism that he was obstructing business because he is always
accompanied by security guards and journalists. TOKYO, Wednesday, AFP
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