If there’s been one truism about the entertainment industry in Japan, it’s that celebrities don’t get involved in politics. Indeed, just last year, Japanese model Rola found herself the subject of intense attacks and vitriol when she took a stand against the move of the US military base in Okinawa.
However, a new move by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and the Liberal Democratic Party (自民党; jimintou) to change a seemingly obscure rule in the way Japan’s public prosecutor’s office is run has many claiming that Abe and the LDP are attempting to erode the separation of powers in the Japanese government. The move has proven so unpopular that hordes of manga artists, celebrities, idols and, singers – including notable names such as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and actor Asada Tadanobu – are joining in on the protest.
Gaming the Public Prosecutor’s Office
The issue at hand is the age of Tokyo High Public Prosecutor Kurokawa Hiromu, who’s currently 63. Kurokawa, according to law, would need to retire this year.
However, Kurokawa is also known to be close with PM Abe. And many claim that Abe’s been shielded from prosecution for the many scandals that have taken place during his tenure – such as the Moritomo Gakuen (森友学園) and Kake Gakuen ((加計学園) scandals, and the Cherry Blossom Viewing Party scandal (桜を見る会; sakura o miru kai) – precisely because Kurokawa is Tokyo’s head prosecutor.
The proposed revision to the Japanese National Civil Service Law would raise the public prosecutor’s resignation age by default to 65. However, it also would allow the ruling Cabinet to extend someone’s retirement date further according to its judgment. Many observers believe Abe and the LDP are making this move in order to elevate Kurokawa to the position of Attorney General – which would afford Abe even more protection.
After announcing its intention to change the Civil Service Law, the LDP started proceedings in the most lopsided way possible. The party’s head of the Lower House Cabinet Committee, Matsumoto Fumiaki, ignored calls for a joint committee investigation and started proceedings immediately. The LDP also ignored opposition calls to produce Legal Minister Mori Masako so that her opinion could be registered.
The opposition immediately protested the move to ram through this change. Japanese Communist Party (共産党; kyousantou) member Shiokawa Tetsuya called Abe a “disaster opportunist” (火事場泥棒; kajibadorobou; literally, a thief who robs the scene of a fire), given that the move comes smack in the middle of Japan’s extended state of emergency.
The Hashtag Heard Throughout Japan: Kyary Pamyu-Pamyu, Others Speak Up
To protest the move, activists in Japan created the hashtag 検察庁法改正案に抗議します (“I Oppose Revising the Public Prosecutor’s Law”). Some even translated the issue into English to explain to those outside of Japan why, exactly, they felt so passionately about opposing this move.
The hashtag took off like wildfire. As of May 10th PM in Japan, according to Nikkan Sports, the number of tweets sporting the hashtag had crossed 3.8 million. And the show of support that seemed to erode Japanese show business’ tacit understanding that celebs don’t talk politics.
Perhaps the most notable is J-Pop powerhouse Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, who sports over 5 million worldwide followers on Twitter. Her simple tweet of the bare-bones hashtag, along with an explanatory graphic about the issue, has been enough to get her name in Japanese (#きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ) trending on JP Twitter overnight. The graphic, which uses heart symbols to show the cozy relationship between Abe and Public Prosecutor Kurokawa, is as funny as it is informative.
(Note: Sometime before publication, Kyary Pamyu-Pamyu deleted the referenced tweet and replaced it with this one. She explains she took the original tweet down because she “hates it when my fans fight.”)
But Kyary Pamyu-Pamyu wasn’t the only one speaking out. Popular Japanese actor Asano Tadanobu – known to US audiences for his roles in the Thor movies – also added his voice by posting the hashtag to his account.
Many manga authors of works that are popular both inside and outside of Japan have also spoken up, along with a number of other celebrities. A few of the notable hashtag signatories include:
- Famous horror manga artist Ito Junji (Tomie, many others)
- Oikawa Neko, the lyricist responsible for “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” in Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Ogata Megumi, the voice of Ikari Shinji in Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Hara Yasuhisa, the artist behind the historical manga Kingdom
- Owara Sumito, author of Keep Your Hands Off of Eizouken!
- Yuki Masami, artist, Mobile Police Patlabor
- Ex-MMA fighter and TV commentator Takada Nobuhiko
- Yamazaki Mari, artist, Thermae Romae
- Artist Suetsugu Yuki, Chihayafuru
- Journalist Hori Jun
- SKY-HI, rapper/musician with the group AAA
- Writer and TV personality Kojima Keiko
- Actress and former AKB48 idol Akimoto Sayaka
- Mentalist DaiGo
Many, many others have also signed on, as reported by Nikkan Sports.
Will This (Finally) Tilt Abe’s Frozen Polls?
Such an outpouring of collective anger is almost unprecedented in Japanese politics, especially from celebrities. I’m reminded of when former PM Mori Yoshiro was forced to resign after he played golf throughout the aftermath of the sinking of the Ehime Maru. PM Mori’s poll numbers tanked down to the low teens in the wake of that scandal.
But it’s not certain what the next step is. As of this time, it’s unclear if the Abe government plans to back down in the face of this massive public outcry. It’s also not clear if the scandal will be enough to have a significant effect on Abe’s polling numbers. Even a string of recent gaffes, including Abe’s much-mocked plan to distribute two cloth masks to every Japanese household, didn’t seem to make a dent in the most recent polling. Abe has been lucky that his tight control of the press, plus the lack of a popular opposition party, have served to keep him in power.
The question is: Has Abe’s luck just run out?
