Keiichirō Hirano: "The current government is the worst yet"
On June 15, Keiichirō Hirano (50), a winner of Japan's prestigious Akutagawa Literary Award, updated his X account, continuing his fierce criticism against Sanae Takaichi.
He mocked Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, saying: "There's no doubt that this current cabinet is the worst one...," and sharply referred to her as a "former prime minister."
During the repeated debates in the Diet over accusations of "defamatory videos" involving Takaichi, Hirano mentioned the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, stating, "Abe was also terrible... He spewed out vile 'lies' regarding the Kake Gakuen issue (abusing the name of Special Zone for National Strategy to obtain public land free of charge)."
Hirano declared: "There's no doubt the current administration is the worst, but I don't think Abe's government was any better." He added, "It wasn't any better than the previous one," and emphasized, "Both are incredibly terrible."
He concluded: "The best proof is that Japan’s situation hasn’t improved at all. I’ve said countless times—politics must be judged by results."
Hirano’s daily criticisms of Takaichi continue unabated. On the 10th, he cited a post on X from Weekly Bunshun, which detailed defamatory videos targeting Shintaro Iwamura (45) and Yoshimasa Hayashi (65). These videos were widely circulated during the presidential election campaign. Hirano asserted: "If she hadn’t used such despicable tactics, she wouldn’t have become prime minister, nor would the LDP achieve such a crushing victory." He strongly criticized: "In other words, we live in a world gone wrong—the wrong person has become prime minister. We should return to the original world."
On the 8th, addressing Takaichi’s denial of these allegations, Hirano remarked: "If you keep refusing to admit it, opposition parties will keep criticizing you—and there are surely more important matters for national politics!" "Takaichi probably just hopes to weather this storm."
On May 29, he pointed out that in traditional Japanese theater, non-traditional protagonists break established rules and resolve issues through emotional release. "Unfortunately, many voters hold such feelings toward the prime minister, placing great expectations on her."
Netizens responded to Hirano’s statements on X:
"Absolutely correct."
"No wonder he’s Keiichirō Hirano—he truly expresses what I feel deep inside."
"Hirano Keiichirō is right..."
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868071269656649/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.