Prime Minister Takashi Takets denied involvement in the issuance of a cryptocurrency called the "Sanai Token" during a budget committee session Monday [1].
The questioning centers on whether the prime minister's office misled the public regarding the digital asset and the creation of a defamatory video. These allegations raise concerns about transparency, and accountability at the highest level of the Japanese government.
During the concentrated deliberation of the House of Representatives Budget Committee on June 22, 2026 [1], opposition lawmaker Goto of the Center Reform Union pressed the prime minister on conflicting reports. Goto said that while a secretary suggested there had been an explanation regarding the idea of distributing crypto-assets, the prime minister's official X account stated the office was unaware of the token.
"It is contradictory," Goto said [1].
Takets responded by denying that he or his office had authorized the asset. He said that neither he nor his office approved the issuance or trading of a cryptocurrency under the name Sanai Token [1].
The session also addressed the prime minister's response to a defamatory video. According to reports, Takets said that managing the response to the video has made it difficult to secure enough time for his official duties [2]. To manage this, the prime minister has repeatedly used secretaries to provide written responses instead of answering questions personally during the proceedings [2].
Lawmakers from opposition parties continued to seek accountability for the video's creation and the timing of the prime minister's disclosures. The committee focused on whether prior explanations had been given to the public, or if the administration had withheld information regarding the token's origin [1], [2].
“"It is contradictory," Goto said”
The clash between Prime Minister Takets and the opposition highlights a growing tension over digital accountability and the use of social media in Japanese governance. By attributing his inability to answer certain questions to the time-consuming nature of combating defamatory content, the prime minister is framing the issue as a personal and administrative burden rather than a policy failure. However, the discrepancy between official social media statements and staff testimony regarding the Sanai Token could provide the opposition with leverage to question the administration's credibility.
