Politician Who Handed Letter To Emperor To Face Punishment

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Politician Who Handed Letter To Emperor To Face Punishment

by Beth on Wednesday, November 6, 2013

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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.

 

[Awake]

Emperor Concerned As Yamamoto Sent Knife And Death Threats

by Beth on Friday, November 15, 2013

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Yamamoto Taro, the former actor and Upper House representative who made the news for handing a letter directly to the Japanese Emperor at an Imperial garden party, has remained at the centre of controversy after receiving an envelope containing a knife, the implication being that he should commit suicide.

This escalation of the situation has led to the Emperor revealing to his staff that he is worried for Yamamoto’s safety. This was the most shared news of the day on Facebook, according to Yahoo! Japan.

Envelope Containing Knife Sent To Representative Yamamoto Taro That Read “Assassins Dispatched”, Metropolitan Police Investigate Allegations Of Intimidation

On November 13, an envelope containing a knife, which was addressed to Representative Yamamoto Taro, was discovered at the Upper House representatives’ building in Chiyoda ward, Tokyo. It was accompanied by a note that warned of Yamamoto’s death. TheKōjimachi division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police are investigating allegations of intimidation.

On November 8, Representative Yamamoto received a stern verbal warning from Yamasaki Masaaki, and the steering committee decided that from now on they would not allow Yamamoto’s participation in Imperial ceremonies from now on.

Emperor Concerned Over Politician Yamamoto Taro

At a scheduled press conference on November 14, Kazaoka Noriyuki, grand steward of the Imperial Household agency, revealed that the Emperor was worried when he saw in a newspaper article that Upper House representative Yamamoto Taro, who passed a letter to the Emperor directly at the autumn Imperial garden party, had received an envelope containing a knife.