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| The annual cherry blossom party has drawn an increasingly large number of guests (AFP Photo/Toru YAMANAKA) |
The Japanese government said Wednesday it would scrap next year's annual cherry blossom party after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came under fire amid claims he invited too many of his own supporters.
The
publicly funded event has taken place in a Tokyo park since 1952 to honour
people for their achievements, with the great and the good of Japanese
political life mingling under the world-famous cherry blossom trees.
But
opposition politicians have taken aim at Abe, claiming he brought along 850
supporters from his local constituency for the festival reportedly costing
around 55 million yen ($504,000) from the public purse.
In a
surprise announcement, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters
that the government had "listened to various opinions" and as a
result decided to shelve next year's party.
Suga also
pledged the government would "clarify the criteria for inviting guests and
make the invitation process transparent."
The number
of guests invited to the event is steadily increasing and so is the budget.
Local news
agency Kyodo News said about 18,000 people took part this year -- up from
between 7,000 and 10,000 from before Abe came to power in 2012.
The 55
million yen spent last year is also nearly double the budget from 2014, Kyodo
added.
Japan's
cherry blossom ("sakura") season is eagerly anticipated by locals and
visitors alike.
The season
is traditionally celebrated with "hanami", or viewing parties, in
cherry blossom hotspots, with picnics organised beneath the trees.
In general,
blooms begin as early as March in the southern island of Kyushu and appear as
late as May in northernmost Hokkaido.
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