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▼ LDP Lawmaker Under Fire For Saying Quake 'Fortunately' Hit Noto Peninsula
- Category:Event
A senior ruling party lawmaker on Wednesday faced a chorus of criticism for suggesting an earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in central Japan last year was "fortunate" in showing how improvements can be made in public services.
Yosuke Tsuruho, who made the remark Tuesday in a campaign speech for the House of Councillors election on July 20, apologized for the "inappropriate" remark but ruled out stepping down.
His comment came at a time when residents in Ishikawa and neighboring prefectures are still struggling to recover in the aftermath of the magnitude-7.6 quake on New Year's Day in 2024 that killed over 600 people. It prompted an immediate backlash from quake-affected residents and lawmakers across party lines.
The controversy may deal a blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party ahead of the upper house election, with cabinet approval ratings already weak due to cost-of-living pressures and poor wage growth.
The LDP reprimanded Tsuruho, a veteran lawmaker who has headed the powerful Budget Committee of the upper house, where half of the members are set to be replaced in the upcoming election. His seat is not being contested, with his current six-year term having begun in 2022.
During a speech at a rally in his home prefecture of Wakayama, western Japan, Tsuruho apparently attempted to stress the need for local government administrative tasks -- such as obtaining residence and other official documents -- to be available outside a person's area of residence, as was possible after the Noto earthquake.
While praising the government's efforts to simplify such procedures, Tsuruho said, "Fortunately, there was an earthquake in Noto" that demonstrated rules can be relaxed for obtaining official documents away from the area of one's registered address.
Later Tuesday, Tsuruho backtracked with a statement, saying, "I lacked consideration for the victims, and my wording was inappropriate. I apologize and retract the remark."
But Tsuruho remained under fire even from within the ruling coalition on Wednesday.
Tetsuo Saito, leader of the LDP's long-term junior coalition partner Komeito party, said on social media that Tsuruho's comment on Noto "disregards the feelings of the victims and is absolutely unacceptable."
From Ishiba's government, which has touted the priority it places on disaster prevention, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Keiichiro Tachibana said politicians should not make comments that "trample on the feelings of people affected by the disaster."
Opposition party leaders, who are seeking to wrestle majority control of the upper house from the ruling bloc, stepped up their criticism.
Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said he cannot let the comment pass as a "verbal slip." Asked by reporters about whether Tsuruho should step down, Noda said, "It's something that he should decide."
Survivors of the disaster also expressed their displeasure, with many calling Tsuruho's remarks insensitive. Masahiro Takaki, a 65-year-old lacquerware artisan living in temporary housing in Wajima, one of the hardest-hit cities in Ishikawa Prefecture on the Sea of Japan, was one of them.
"Lawmakers responsible for national politics should visit the affected areas more frequently and listen to the voices of those still struggling," Takaki said, expressing frustration with what he believes is a lack of empathy.
Besides its death toll in the hundreds, including those who later died from related health issues, the quake caused around 160,000 homes across the region to collapse fully or partially.
Yosuke Tsuruho, who made the remark Tuesday in a campaign speech for the House of Councillors election on July 20, apologized for the "inappropriate" remark but ruled out stepping down.
His comment came at a time when residents in Ishikawa and neighboring prefectures are still struggling to recover in the aftermath of the magnitude-7.6 quake on New Year's Day in 2024 that killed over 600 people. It prompted an immediate backlash from quake-affected residents and lawmakers across party lines.
The controversy may deal a blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party ahead of the upper house election, with cabinet approval ratings already weak due to cost-of-living pressures and poor wage growth.
The LDP reprimanded Tsuruho, a veteran lawmaker who has headed the powerful Budget Committee of the upper house, where half of the members are set to be replaced in the upcoming election. His seat is not being contested, with his current six-year term having begun in 2022.
During a speech at a rally in his home prefecture of Wakayama, western Japan, Tsuruho apparently attempted to stress the need for local government administrative tasks -- such as obtaining residence and other official documents -- to be available outside a person's area of residence, as was possible after the Noto earthquake.
While praising the government's efforts to simplify such procedures, Tsuruho said, "Fortunately, there was an earthquake in Noto" that demonstrated rules can be relaxed for obtaining official documents away from the area of one's registered address.
Later Tuesday, Tsuruho backtracked with a statement, saying, "I lacked consideration for the victims, and my wording was inappropriate. I apologize and retract the remark."
But Tsuruho remained under fire even from within the ruling coalition on Wednesday.
Tetsuo Saito, leader of the LDP's long-term junior coalition partner Komeito party, said on social media that Tsuruho's comment on Noto "disregards the feelings of the victims and is absolutely unacceptable."
From Ishiba's government, which has touted the priority it places on disaster prevention, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Keiichiro Tachibana said politicians should not make comments that "trample on the feelings of people affected by the disaster."
Opposition party leaders, who are seeking to wrestle majority control of the upper house from the ruling bloc, stepped up their criticism.
Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said he cannot let the comment pass as a "verbal slip." Asked by reporters about whether Tsuruho should step down, Noda said, "It's something that he should decide."
Survivors of the disaster also expressed their displeasure, with many calling Tsuruho's remarks insensitive. Masahiro Takaki, a 65-year-old lacquerware artisan living in temporary housing in Wajima, one of the hardest-hit cities in Ishikawa Prefecture on the Sea of Japan, was one of them.
"Lawmakers responsible for national politics should visit the affected areas more frequently and listen to the voices of those still struggling," Takaki said, expressing frustration with what he believes is a lack of empathy.
Besides its death toll in the hundreds, including those who later died from related health issues, the quake caused around 160,000 homes across the region to collapse fully or partially.
- 10/7 14:36
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