Bumbling Japanese politicians anger even the most jaded voters
One invites imperial intervention, another tries unauthorised diplomacy in North Korea, while a third hits problems over campaign irregularities
Politicians the world over have a reputation as a shifty bunch, but the recent impropriety and ill-judgment displayed by three Japanese lawmakers have caught the attention of even the most jaded voters.
Taro Yamamoto got the ball rolling by trampling across royal protocol at a garden party hosted by the emperor on October 31.
He was not elected for his competence, but because he is ‘cool’
A staunch anti-nuclear activist and independent politician, Yamamoto gave the emperor a handwritten letter informing the monarch of health problems experienced by children who lived close to the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Conservative politicians quickly lined up to condemn Yamamoto for his temerity and for attempting to drag the emperor into politics, while the upper house of the Diet voted this week to ban him from attending future ceremonies involving the imperial family.
Most Japanese were also critical of Yamamoto's actions, viewed as an outrageous breach of protocol, but foreign commentators on websites have been more supportive, pointing out that the government seemed to be far more horrified that someone had approached the emperor than at the bumbling incompetence that has been the hallmark of efforts to deal with the Fukushima crisis.
He has even received a death threat: a menacing letter, discovered by security officers at a Tokyo building filled with lawmakers' offices, warning that "a group of assassins will be dispatched shortly", public broadcaster NHK said yesterday. Inside the envelope was a clasp knife with a 9cm blade.
Next to incur the wrath of the Diet was Antonio Inoki, who embarked on a six-day trip to North Korea without securing the chamber's permission.
