Seriously and simply, why is this idiot the head of the country? I’ll polish your sense, so come to GEZAN’s Budokan. I’ll buy in advance.” [With pictures] “Is this idiot the head of the country?” Rock Musician Furious at Prime Minister Takaichi On November 22, a post by a rock musician who made fun of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on his X is now under fire. The post was written by Mahitu the Peepo, vocalist of GEZAN, a four-piece rock band formed in Osaka, Japan, 16 years ago this year.GEZAN will perform at Fuji Rock in 2023, and will also tour five cities in China and perform in Taiwan for the first time in 2024. Furthermore, the band has been active worldwide, performing at Uganda’s most famous music festival in November of the same year. They have received enthusiastic support from fans for their unique performance and music style, and are preparing to perform their first Budokan one-man live concert on March 14, 2026.” (Music writer) What triggered this was Prime Minister Takaichi’s post on March 21. On the way to the G20 Johannesburg Summit in South Africa on that day, Mr. Takaichi posted X. Yesterday, I was given the morning free to pack for my business trip, but the thing that took me the longest was choosing the right clothes…,” he began, revealing that at the House of Councillors Budget Committee on November 14, he was stuck on a point raised by Yutaka Ando, a member of the House of Councillors who serves as Secretary General and Chairman of the Policy Research Committee of the Upper House of the Diet. Mr. Takaichi revealed that he had been caught off guard by a point made by Mr. Ando at the House of Councilors Budget Committee meeting on November 14. Mr. Takaichi said, “From now on, Prime Minister Takaichi and other ministers will have to negotiate with the heads of countries around the world. At that time, if possible, I would like you to conduct diplomatic negotiations in clothes made by Japan’s best craftsmen using Japan’s best fabrics. I don’t have any clothes made of Japan’s best fabrics or made by Japan’s best craftsmen, but I felt that Councilor Ando had a point. I spent several hours trying to choose clothes that “didn’t look cheap” and “didn’t look tame” from among the clothes returned from the dry cleaning. He then added, “In the end, I didn’t have much on hand, so I ended up packing a combination of a jacket and a one-piece dress that you are all used to seeing…. Clothes that I can mount in diplomatic negotiations, I might have to buy even if I have to push myself…,” he posted. Mahitu the Peepo quoted Mr. Koichi’s post in his opening post, and while there were some who agreed with him, there were also those who said, “Who is this celebrity who is still making insulting remarks about Prime Minister Koichi as a publicity stunt? The band, which has been parasitic on China for a living, is just raising its voice because it can’t eat in China anymore. Mahitu the Peepo’s post has received 1.74 million impressions. The comment section has been closed, but numerous posts have been made in response to this statement. Ten minutes after the post, the person in question made a new post: “Does anyone have the heart to talk on this level of ‘don’t bring politics into music’ at this point in time? The post continued, “I love China. He continued, “There are people in China that I love. There is also the time we have built up. I told them to come to Japan next. I sold 90 tickets to the Budokan at a live concert in Shanghai. Everyone comes to this distorted Japan. Wouldn’t it be strange not to be alarmed by Prime Minister Takaichi’s dangerous sense that could sever such connections? He explained the intention of his statement. He then added, “If your boss were in danger, you would be suspicious, wouldn’t you? For me, it’s a serious category of musical activity. Don’t tarnish my friends. The tension in Japan-China relations has continued to escalate since Prime Minister Koichi’s comments regarding the Taiwan emergency. Musicians whose musical activities have actually been affected by the incident have voiced their disapproval of Prime Minister Takaichi for “provoking” China. In fact, it must be very hard for musicians who have had their musical activities restricted, including financial losses,” said one musician. However, it is the Chinese government that is actually restricting their activities, and they are playing the diplomatic card one after another. With this background in mind, it is hard to say that Mr. Takaichi is the only one to blame. I am sure that everyone wants to continue exchanges among citizens regardless of government diplomacy, and Mahitu the People might have gained wider understanding if she had expressed herself differently.
