A technical glitch trapped Japan’s top government spokesperson inside an elevator for half an hour on Friday, forcing him to skip a Cabinet meeting he was supposed to preside over.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa got on an elevator at the Prime Minister’s Office with his aide and security guard.
But the elevator stopped, and the three passengers had to wait for about 30 minutes before the malfunction was resolved.
Hayashi was due to attend a Cabinet meeting from 10 a.m. The meeting was delayed for more than 20 minutes, and Hayashi ended up not being able to attend.
Hayashi is in charge of proceedings at Cabinet meetings. Since he was absent, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio took over the role.
Hayashi later told reporters that he is all right.