Society

LDP lawmaker flouts coronavirus guidelines, attends drinking party with 30 people

Dec 27 (Japan Times) - A Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker attended a drinking party Friday with about 30 people in Toyama, his office said Saturday, despite authorities’ warnings to refrain from dining in large groups to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.

Mitsuhiro Miyakoshi, a 70-year-old House of Representatives member, also fell down and was taken to a hospital by ambulance after the drinking party, sources familiar with the matter said.

“I deeply regret attending the drinking party and apologize,” the former minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories said in a statement released by his office. He suffered a minor injury, according to the sources.

Miyakoshi’s outing came despite a government warning that dining with five or more people carries a high risk of spreading the virus. Miyakoshi drank with members of the fishing industry in Toyama, his constituency, according to the sources.

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