Japan Opposition Tells Crowd Female Bets Would Win Because Of 'Looks'

Akira Ishii, chief of the opposition Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin)'s election strategy office for new candidates, delivered a gaffe-laden address in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, on May 15, suggesting the party's likely local candidate for the summer House of Councillors election would win because she was the prettiest, and calling Russia and China "crazy," Reina Kamoda and Shu Furukawa reported for Mainichi Shimbun.

Photo Insert: A Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin) campaign

Ishii, a 65-year-old upper house member, made the comments in a speech to open the office of the projected Nippon Ishin candidate for the Tochigi constituency.

He told attendees: "Five of them (likely candidates) are women, right? Just talking about age, she (our candidate) is young, but if people vote based on looks, she would win hands-down."

Speaking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on Japanese security, he stated that "in addition to crazy Russia, we've got nearly crazy China." Asked for comment on May 16, Ishii's office told the Mainichi Shimbun: "There's no one here who is aware of the situation."

Nippon Ishin Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita told a press conference on the same day that Ishii had been issued a stern warning, and that "he should choose appropriate language when it comes to gender and lookism."

Fujita quoted Ishii as saying in his defense, "I did not mean to discriminate based on appearance."

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