On January 17, 2023, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara apologized for his controversial behavior during his visit to Washington.
“I’m the type to think while walking.”
On the 14th, Mr. Kihara accompanied Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the Japan-U.S. summit meeting and visited Washington. The Asahi Shimbun reported on Kishida’s hanging press conference after the meeting, but Kihara’s attitude in the background was viewed as a problem.
In the video posted on Twitter by the Asahi Shimbun, you can see Kihara looking up at the sky and putting both hands into his pockets while Kishida expresses his impressions. He continued to drop his eyes and put on a stern expression, and crossed his hands in front of him with a nodding gesture.
On the 17th, Mr. Kihara appeared on YouTube “Uoya no O Channel” run by businessman Yoshikatsu Ikuta, and was questioned by Masaaki Taira, a member of the House of Representatives, who was the same time he was elected, “Why did you put your hand in your pocket?” rice field.
Mr. Kihara said, “I think I’ll get angry again if I say this, but…”, “I’m the type to think while walking, although it’s a strange story. I’ve always studied and nothing. I always put it in my pocket. ” he explained.
After the meeting, he refrained from his own briefing. While he was thinking about the content, she said, “But I have to listen to what the Prime Minister has to say. I don’t want to be out of step with the Prime Minister.”
Since Mr. Kishida was the subject of the interview, he did not imagine that he would be the subject. “At one point, I thought the cameras were rolling, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s the vibe…'” he straightened.
Mr. Kihara apologized, saying, “I’m sorry,” and Mr. Taira added, “Because you have a position, don’t let your guard down until the very end. With a sense of tension,” he suggested that the pockets be sewn.