The LDP party moved quickly to stem the damage by attacks from its parliamentarians on the press becoming public. It sacked the convener of the Culture and Arts group from his position as head of the party’s youth division.

自民党迅速采取行动，遏制该党议员攻击媒体一事曝光所产生的破坏性影响，解除了此次文化艺术恳话会召集人的自民党青年局局长职务。

“Freedom of expression is the root of democracy so it’s unacceptable for the LDP not to show our clear support for it,” Mr Abe said.

安倍表示：“言论自由是民主的根基。因此，对自民党来说，不显示出我们对言论自由的明确支持，是无法令人接受的。”

His government is struggling to push security laws through parliament. The laws reinterpret Japan’s pacifist constitution to let it fight in defence of allied forces.

目前，安倍政府正在艰难地推动安保法案在议会获得通过。这一法案重新解释了日本和平宪法，以使日本能够为保卫盟军而作战。

One reason for the stability of Mr Abe’s government over the past two and a half years has been his success in managing the media. Professor Nakano said it was “certainly true” the press has become weaker since Mr Abe came to power but that cracks are emerging as the prime minister’s popularity falls.

安倍政府在过去两年半里保持稳定的原因之一，就是他成功地控制住了媒体。中野教授表示，安倍掌权以来，媒体“无疑”已经弱化，不过，随着安倍支持率下滑，这种控制正在出现裂缝。

“The fact that the [Culture and Arts] story came out indicates that the control over the media by the government is getting less firm,” Mr Nakano said. “The government is becoming weak enough for the media to feel emboldened.”

中野表示：“（恳话会）那件事会曝光，说明政府对媒体的控制力没有那么强了。政府正在变弱，因此媒体的胆子也大了起来。