Japanese governor skips governors' conference to meet Cristiano Ronaldo and attend PSG vs Al-Nassr game instead

The match ended in 0-0 draw

A political tempest has erupted around the governor of Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan, following reports that he skipped the country’s governors’ conference to attend a football match starring Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo and then participated in a postgame function with the Portuguese player.

While the prefectural administration paid for his travel and lodging, Governor Kengo Oishi claims he paid for the trip to the July 25 match between Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian team, Al Nassr FC, and Paris Saint-Germain of France with his own money. The friendly for the summer was played in Osaka.

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In addition, Oishi stated in the Asahi that he invited Ronaldo to “extend a helping hand to the publicity of Nagasaki Prefecture” during the meeting; however, local officials denied receiving any official answer to the proposal.

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Online commenters’ views on the matter are divided; some believe Oishi should step down for misusing his position, while others maintain the governor was promoting Nagasaki in his official capacity.

“As a governor holding public office, his first priority should be to concentrate on his duties. He prioritised his own interests and put Nagasaki Prefecture second. What he did was wrong. He should resign,” one user said on the website of the FNN Prime Online news service.

Another added: “A governor who doesn’t want to do his job should retire.”

Although some experts acknowledge that the episode is just another instance of improper behaviour by elected officials, others are just brushing it off as unimportant. However, this incident pales in comparison to some of the scandals that are now rocking the Japanese governmental scene.

The deputy mayor accompanied Nagasaki at the prefectural officials’ gathering in Yamanashi Prefecture on 25–26 July. The gathering covered issues such as the effects of global rising temperatures, the nation’s dropping birth rate, and the shrinking rural population.

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