The series of media reports concerning the spendthrift way Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe uses public money and political funds shows that his sense of fiscal responsibility in handling taxpayer money and political funds is egregious. Masuzoe must consider whether he is worthy of serving as governor of the nation's capital. The best course of action he can take is to explain in detail his actions in his own words. If his explanations cannot convince the public, the only way left for him is to resign.

The cases involving the governor that have drawn public criticism are numerous. Since Masuzoe took up the post in February 2014, he has made nine business trips abroad, spending more than ¥200 million in total. Critics have taken aim at his decision not only to fly first class himself but to have his staff fly business class. They've also lambasted his numerous stays at expensive hotels during these trips that exceeded the spending limits set in the metropolitan government's internal rules — often by more than double. Masuzoe's revelation that he used an official car 48 times to visit his private second house in Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, from April last year to this April has also drawn strong criticism.

Masuzoe admitted earlier that while he was an Upper House member, his political fund management body made payments of ¥240,000 and ¥130,000 to a hotel in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, respectively in 2013 and 2014 on the grounds that the use of the hotel was related to political activities. He had in fact reserved the hotel rooms for family trips. Masuzoe's explanation concerning the hotel stays was less than convincing. He said that although he and his family stayed at the hotel, the political fund body made the payments to the hotel and treated the payments as political activities-related expenses because he also consulted with his aides at the hotel on how to cope with the 2013 Upper House election and the 2014 Tokyo gubernatorial race. The governor even refused to disclose how many people took part in the meetings at the hotel.