MP Seiji Kihara, 52, has been criticized by many netizens and his mother for his attitude deemed rude in Japan.
A very misunderstood attitude. Seiji Kihara, a close friend of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has apologized after being filmed with his hands in his trouser pockets on January 13 during a trip to the United States, reports the Guardian.
The attitude of the deputy had triggered strong criticism on Japanese social networks but also from his own mother. The latter said “to be ashamed” of him, in the words of the politician.
Invited to “sew his pockets” by his mother
It is on Youtube, in an informal discussion, that the deputy secretary general of Fumio Kishida’s cabinet shared this episode. He explains that his mother called him, furious, after reading comments claiming that Seiji Kihara was “dishonoring his family”.
She expressed her “shame”, inviting her son “to sew his pockets” so as not to be tempted to slip his hands into them, shares the deputy.
After his apologies, Seiji Kihara explained that his attitude was not linked to a lack of respect towards the Prime Minister who was speaking in front of him.
He said he was “one who puts his hands in his pockets when he walks”, although he is motionless in the video, and his posture allows him to concentrate better on what Fumio is saying. Kishida. In a humorous tone, the politician also put forward diplomatic reasons to justify his attitude.
“I thought about how best to express the friendly relations between Japan and the United States at the summit,” he said.
A posture perceived as impolite in Japan. Seiji Kihara is not the first politician to attract the wrath of the web for putting his hands in his pockets. The gesture, considered inappropriate in certain official and professional contexts, had earned much criticism from the governor of the Tokyo metropolis, Yuriko Koike, in 2019.
After awarding the gold medal to the winner of the Tokyo Marathon, Ethiopian Birhanu Legese, she had slipped her hands into the pocket of her parka while it was raining.
“Madam Yuriko Koike […] don’t you think it’s impolite to put your hand in your pocket after giving the medal?”, asked a user rhetorically.
His attitude then contrasted with that of the runner, who held his arms along his body and without an umbrella despite the showers.
