Sunday, August 13, 2006
Political Satire In Japan
The show’s format follows a bill proposed in Parliament, over which Mr. Ota, as prime minister, presides. Guests, including real-life politicians in dark suits and entertainers in purple outfits, debate the bill before voting.
The bills tend to take extreme positions to fuel debate. One early show proposed that Mr. Koizumi’s famous one-liners — the prime minister is known for repeating stock lines instead of addressing complex issues in detail — be rated R so that they don’t reach the ears of impressionable youths whose intelligence might decline as a result.
Another show discussed popular referendums to get rid of incompetent prime ministers or the suspension of diplomatic relations with the United States for one year. Yet another proposed that the salaries of government bureaucrats who land jobs in the private sector be limited to $4.30 an hour....
Although Mr. Ota describes himself as contrarian, rather than left-leaning, his anti-authoritarian streak runs counter to the ascendant right-wing views of Mr. Koizumi’s government and makes him especially vulnerable to attacks.
“There is fear of that,” he said, “and I’m especially afraid that the program could be canceled. It’s possible that Nippon Television could cancel it under some kind of pressure.”
There is also a more immediate fear, one peculiar to Japan, where organized right-wing groups routinely threaten those they consider anti-Japanese. In April, one such rightist — who had served time for trying to assassinate a politician for referring to the late emperor’s wartime responsibility — unexpectedly visited Mr. Ota’s office here. He left a letter protesting remarks that, it turned out, had been mistakenly attributed to Mr. Ota. But Mr. Ota knew to be careful.
Labels: japanese politics
