The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is suffering from falling popular approval ratings over two scandals. Despite a lack of evidence that the prime minister or any member of his Cabinet violated any laws or went against political ethics, some members of the opposition camp and the mass media have taken up various issues and characterized them as "suspicions." This has led people to continue to have negative impressions about the administration. Although most recent polls show that the downfall in approval ratings has finally stopped, it has dropped from over 50 percent a year ago to 38 percent as of this month (according to an NHK poll).

Opposition parties and the media constantly attack the administration in power by brandishing a claim of "suspicion" over certain problems even when decisive evidence is lacking. Where to draw a line of defense is an important decision for any administration.

This time the Abe administration seems to have done a poor job of it. Let's imagine a situation in which somebody in government is suspected of having given favors to a particular person. In such a case, drawing a defensive line means crafting a story to use for an effective defense. Possible stories may include "I did not meet the person in the first place," "I met the person but did not talk over anything in particular," or "We discussed the issue but I gave no favors to the person."