Upper house representative Yamamoto Taro has generated huge online debate this week after he handed a letter concerning Fukushima directly to the Emperor at an imperial garden part on November 5.
Yamamoto stated that he simply wanted the Emperor to be aware of some of the concerns of his subjects over radiation and contamination from the beleagured Fukushima plant, but in handing over the letter he contravened what is considered to be correct behaviour before His Majesty the Emperor, drawing harsh criticism from his upper house peers.
Now, the upper house steering committee is deciding how Yamamoto’s actions ought to be punished, with some calling for his resignation. But has Yamamoto really done anything wrong?
From Yahoo! Japan:
Representative Yamamoto Refuses To Resign; Upper House To Decide Punishment Within Week
On November 5, Representative Yamamoto Taro (independent), denied that he would resign over an incident where he directly handed a letter to the Emperor at an autumn imperial garden party, stating in response to questioning by head of the upper house steering committee, Iwaki Mitsuhide, that: “I have no intention of resigning, and I don’t feel as though I have anything in particular to take responsibility for”. Afterward, Yamamoto held a press conference where he apologised for his actions, saying “There has been such a furore over this. I’m reflecting very seriously on having bothered His Majesty in this way”.
Prior to this, the steering committee confirmed during a meeting that they would decide upon a fixed punishment for Yamamoto within the week. At the meeting, the LDP called for Yamamoto’s resignation, saying that “He should clearly contemplate resigning by himself”. The Komei Party stressed that “It is necessary to deal with this in a way that prevents it from happening again”. The DPJ indicated that “He should really consider that his words and actions — even outside of the parliament — might be subject to punishment”.
On the other hand, regarding Representative Antonio Inoki of the Japan Restoration Party, who visited North Korea ignoring the decision that upper house representatives are not permitted to travel there, the steering committee reached an agreement that they would review how to proceed, which would include Inoki being questioned once he returns to Japan on November 7.
Comments from Yahoo! Japan:
yas*****:
If he won’t resign himself, then they should just make him resign.
日本を守ろう！:
Resign!
いぬ:
Is a parliamentary representative? I wish he’d just give up (pretending to be) Japanese!
aki*****:
You just can’t do a thing with bastards like him who don’t think they’re stupid even though they’re idiots.
He can’t even understand the meaning of his own actions.
red arrow:
Those Tokyoites who voted for him are national traitors.
jik*****:
He shouldn’t be setting such a bad example.
Give him an appropriate punishment.
las＿on*****:
Are you fucking kidding me!
RESIGN!
oka*****:
So low.
Can’t they now thoroughly investigate him to see if there wasn’t any kind of electoral violation involved, and then make him resign?
Innocent Citizens:
He has no awareness of the fact that he’s made a mistake, and he doesn’t think it’s wrong. And if that is the case, then there should be some kind of punishment from the upper house. I don’t think that there are any idiots who would imitate him directly, but I do think this will appeal to some people. Insofar as he is a public figure, he should respect the rules. Still, although the Emperor often visits the disaster-stricken areas, for Yamamoto to criticize like this when he himself has never even been there makes me sick.
horbitz:
If he’s not going to commit seppuku (resign by himself) then there’s nothing for it but to condemn him.
Plus, those people who voted for this joker, probably as a joke, please reflect on your own ignorance, thoughtlessness, and disregard for politics.
And for those of you who still support Yamamoto, that’s already some kind of religion.
I know no way of convincing you otherwise after this.
mth*****:
Someone who doesn’t know what kind of event an imperial garden party is is definitely not suited to being a member of parliament!!
Don’t use the emperor for political gain!!
ito*****:
He’s made the mistake of thinking that you can do whatever you like if it’s anti-nuclear.
I’m surprised that there are even people who would support his actions.
nsu*****:
He shouldn’t be resigning. He should be sacked. And I don’t just want him to resign as a representative, but also as a citizen of Japan.
Illegal Alien:
In spite of being left-wing, he’s trying to grasp at the Emperor’s authority.
I bet that even his left-wing friends can’t understand why he did that.
d_k*****:
It would be great if we could de-elect parliamentary representatives.
sak*****
What he did was just madness.
