TOKYO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has faced online criticism after a video of her visit to an earthquake-hit area in southwestern Japan, set to piano music, was criticized by some social media users as "PR piece," local media reported Wednesday.
Set against a piano soundtrack, the video recaps Takaichi's Monday visit to Kumamoto Prefecture following the deadly 7.1-magnitude earthquake that jolted the region on July 28. It features footage of the prime minister surveying disaster-hit areas from a helicopter, meeting affected residents and inspecting an evacuation center.
One user wrote on X that the video posted by the Prime Minister's Office's official account was "government PR," while another accused the Takaichi administration of "using a disaster for political gain," according to Kyodo News.
At a regular press conference on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara defended the video, describing it as "a concise summary" of the visit. Responding to questions about the background piano music, he said it was "a way of presenting the prime minister's inspection of the damage in a manner that is easy to understand."
The controversy adds to mounting challenges for Takaichi, as recent opinion polls point to a steady decline in her Cabinet's approval ratings. ■