Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in a street speech of the House of Representatives Election Campaign in Japan, on February 1, 2026. Photo: VCG

With campaigning underway ahead of Japan's House of Representatives election scheduled for February 8, Japanese media and netizens are questioning whether Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi deliberately avoided facing scrutiny over issues including the Unification Church scandal by abruptly skipping a televised debate with leaders of other parties on an NHK program on Sunday.

Takaichi cited a "hand injury" sustained during campaign activities as the reason for her absence, in a post on X released Sunday shortly after her absence from the TV program, but the move quickly triggered dissatisfaction and speculation among Japanese politicians and netizens, particularly as her name has repeatedly surfaced in documents related to the Unification Church, a controversial religious group long linked to Japanese politics.

According to Jiji Press, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi canceled her appearance in a television debate program Sunday morning as she injured her hand during the campaign trail for the Feb. 8 general election.

Takaichi posted on her X account on Sunday morning to explain that she injured her hand during her campaigning activities over the past couple of days and has been receiving treatment. "When I shook hands with a person who supports me enthusiastically, my hand was pulled hard and I hurt it," she said, adding, "I have chronic rheumatoid arthritis, so my hand became swollen."

However, Takaichi's decision not to appear on the program at such a sensitive moment in the election campaign quickly became a focal point of online discussion, with critics questioning whether the injury alone justified skipping a nationally televised debate.

Following Takaichi's post, Akiko Oishi, co-leader of the Reiwa Shinsengumi party, wrote on her own X account that Takaichi was offering an "excuse" for "skipping" Sunday's discussion while still going on a campaign tour, saying that "her nerve is off the charts." Oishi also mentioned that Takaichi's name appeared 32 times in documents related to the Unification Church issue, urging her to "explain yourself to the public before election day."

According to the Asahi Shimbun, the Unification Church issue refers to an affiliate of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification and its associates purchasing 100,000 yen ($653) in fund-raising tickets for a Liberal Democratic Party branch headed by Sanae Takaichi, as reported by the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun on January 28.

A netizen, @kikuichigomon, complained in Japanese, "Even with a hand injury, you can still participate in discussions, right?"

Another user, kumon, laid out a timeline in Japanese, arguing that such an injury did not justify canceling a party leader debate, saying it was "inevitable that people would suspect the aim is to dodge the Shukan Bunshun report."

On January 26, Takaichi's smile vanished instantly during an Asahi TV program when she was asked about an internal document showing a close relationship between the LDP and the former Unification Church, in which her name appeared 32 times.

Lü Yaodong, director of the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday that as the leader of the ruling party, regardless of whether her hand is injured or not, the questions the public is asking are what Takaichi is expected to confront directly.

"Dissolving the House of Representatives is meant to demonstrate accountability to the public and seek their judgment," Lü said. "However, Takaichi avoids key questions including the Unification Church scandal, which suggests a lack of genuine concern for public issues."

According to a public opinion survey conducted by the Mainichi Shimbun on January 24 and 25, the Takaichi Cabinet approval rating stood at 57 percent, down 10 percentage points from 67 percent in the Japanese media outlet's previous survey conducted on December 20 and 21, 2025. A nationwide telephone survey conducted by Kyodo News over the same two days showed the cabinet's approval rating at 63.1 percent, down 4.4 percentage points from December. 

Lü added that as many public concerns have remained unaddressed, combined with the resurfacing of allegations related to the Unification Church and political funding, Takaichi's skipping of questioning may not only hurt her own approval ratings but also weaken support for the LDP.

On January 26, Takaichi said during a party leaders' debate that she would step down immediately if the ruling bloc fails to secure a majority in the upcoming House of Representatives election, according to Jiji Press.