Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga prepares to answer questions from reporters at the prime minister’s office on Dec. 16. (Kotaro Ebara) Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga expressed “regret” after coming under fire for attending a large dinner party that broke health protocols recommended by his own government panel to prevent novel coronavirus infections. “I went to the party just to exchange greetings with attendees,” Suga said on a Nippon TV news program on the evening of Dec. 16. “But I ended up staying there for about 40 minutes to chat with them. I deeply regret that.” He was also asked by reporters about the issue at the prime minister’s office in the late afternoon that day.