Japan’s upper house of parliament has decided to expel a video producer on celebrity scandals for the YouTube platform, elected deputy in 2022, for missing all sessions, it was announced today.
The disciplinary committee of the Chamber of Councilors unanimously confirmed the decision taken on Tuesday. According to the Japanese press, this is the first time since 1951 that a deputy from the Japanese parliament (Diet) has been expelled.
The Diet had earlier this month ordered Yoshikazu Higashitani, 51, known on social media by the pseudonym “GaaSyy”, to apologize to the assembly.
But Higashitani, one of two MPs elected by the tiny Seijika Joshi 48 party, did not respond to that order.
Expulsion is the harshest punishment a deputy can receive in Japan, and this is the third time since the adoption of the current constitution in 1947.
The two previous evictions were Tomozo Ogawa in 1950 and Kanichi Kawakami in 1951 during Japan’s post-war period.
After the elections in July, Higashitani remained in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, where he already lived, and said he was afraid to return to Japan for fear of being arrested.
Japanese police are investigating Higashitani on suspicion of harassment and defamation of celebrities in the videos he publishes on the Internet, according to the local press.
Higashitani will be replaced by fellow party member Seijika Joshi, who has changed names several times since its founding in 2013. Initially, the party was formed to oppose Japan’s public television NHK license fee.
The Seijika Joshi considered Higashitani’s deportation illegal.
Source: DN
