TOKYO, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday admitted that he was involved in selecting guests for a cherry blossom viewing party held at the taxpayers' expense sparking condemnation from the opposition camp.
The opposition camp has argued that the publicly funded annual cherry blossom viewing party that has been held since 1952, has been used by the prime minister to woo hundreds of his supporters and for election campaigning.
Abe was reportedly allowed to recommend 1,000 guests with his wife, Akie, also involved in the selection process for the annual event, government officials said in parliament.
As for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which Abe leads, its total quota of guests was around 6,000, the officials said.
The government allowing politicians, including the prime minister, to ostensibly finalize the guest list, has led opposition party members to question the transparency of the selection process and the actual purpose of the event, leading to criticism that it has been held for dubious purposes such as to gain personal or political capital.
Abe backtracked on his Nov. 8 statement, in which he told the Diet he was "not arranging the invitees, although I offer greetings and welcome guests as the event host."
He told the Diet Wednesday that his office had reached out to a wide range of people after the Cabinet Secretariat had asked his office for its recommendations.
"I gave my opinion regarding people to be recommended when consulted by my office. I should deeply reflect on how it was managed," Abe said.
Abe admitted the selection of guests was unclear and said henceforth the selection criteria will be comprehensively reviewed by the government.
He has already canceled next year's event after coming under fire from opposition parties about it possibly serving personal and political ulterior motives.
Opposition parties, however, are continuing to take aim at how the controversial party has been organized.
"It has become obvious that a public event was treated as part of election campaigning," Jun Azumi, the Diet affairs chief of the major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), told a press briefing on the matter.
"Taxpayers' money has been used for unintended purposes. We will seek a thorough explanation," said Azumi.
The number of guests and the cost to the taxpayer of hosting the annual event has been growing every year.
"It is a hard fact that the number has been growing over many years," Japan's top government spokesperson Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told the Diet session.
The event is supposed to honor noteworthy people such as celebrities and athletes for their accomplishments.
