Yoshikazu Higashitani, a YouTuÂber-turned-lawÂmakÂer, has been expelled from Japanâs upper house for his conÂtinÂuÂous absence from parÂliaÂmenÂtary sesÂsions since being electÂed last year. Higashitani, who also goes by GaaSyy on his popÂuÂlar YouTube account (which has since been susÂpendÂed), lost his seat after failÂing to appear in the House of CounÂcilors while residÂing abroad, angerÂing his colleagues.
The 51-year-old received almost 300,000 votes last July as a memÂber of a sinÂgle-issue parÂty advoÂcatÂing reforms to NHK, the JapanÂese pubÂlic broadÂcastÂer. HowÂevÂer, he had been livÂing in the UnitÂed Arab EmiÂrates even before the elecÂtion and has not returned to Japan since, citÂing conÂcerns he might be detained by police invesÂtiÂgatÂing defamaÂtion comÂplaints stemÂming from the celebriÂty gosÂsip that proÂpelled him to YouTube stardom.
Last week, GaaSyy said on InstaÂgram that he was in Gaziantep, Turkey, to help with earthÂquake relief and that it was too earÂly for him to return to Japan. He is curÂrentÂly believed to be back in the U.A.E. city of Dubai.
GaaSyy is the first JapanÂese lawÂmakÂer to be expelled from the legÂisÂlaÂture in over 70 years and the first to be expelled over an extendÂed periÂod of absence. HowÂevÂer, the deciÂsion does not bar him from runÂning for office again. The vote was 235 to 1, with the only oppoÂsiÂtion comÂing from his sole felÂlow parÂty memÂber in the chamÂber, Satoshi HamaÂda, who had hoped GaaSyy could conÂtinÂue to serve as a memÂber of parliament.
LawÂmakÂers from othÂer parÂties said it was an easy deciÂsion, with Hiroshige Seko, a memÂber of the govÂernÂing LibÂerÂal DemoÂcÂraÂtÂic ParÂty, statÂing that despite being givÂen the opporÂtuÂniÂty to apolÂoÂgize on the floor of the Diet, GaaSyy nevÂer respondÂed to it and conÂtinÂued to ignore the opportunity.
Jeff Kingston, direcÂtor of Asian studÂies at TemÂple UniÂverÂsiÂty Japan in Tokyo, said the deciÂsion made sense from the point of view of taxÂpayÂers, who have paid GaaSyy an estiÂmatÂed $149,000 since his elecÂtion. He added that GaaSyyâs expulÂsion was not surÂprisÂing, as he nevÂer attendÂed Diet sesÂsions and didÂnât repÂreÂsent the disÂilÂluÂsioned votÂers who supÂportÂed him.
Leave a Reply