LDP’s Taro Kono openly expressed hostility towards the audience in a campaign speech， saying， “An agent of a dictatorial government has lurked here． I’m getting paid．”
“I want to use my experience to move Japan forward as a leader,” said Taro Kono (61), former Minister of Digital Affairs, at a press conference announcing his candidacy for the LDP presidential election on September 27. However, he ended up in a crushing defeat, coming in eighth out of nine candidates in the first round of voting and failing to even advance to the runoff election in which the top two candidates compete. He is running in the upcoming House of Representatives election in Kanagawa’s 15th district, and media polls show him to be in the lead. He has been elected nine times and is well-known nationwide, so he is receiving a steady stream of requests for support from other candidates, but some voters who appear to have heard Kono’s campaign speeches are expressing concerns such as, “Is everything okay?” and “There’s something suspicious about what he’s saying.” During his time as a cabinet minister, Kono was in charge of COVID-19 vaccines and actively promoted vaccination. For this reason, when Kono gives a speech while riding in the campaign vehicle of the candidate he supports, a large audience tends to gather holding placards about the health hazards of vaccines, and he probably doesn’t find this amusing. “There is money behind the claims that vaccines are dangerous. “They try to make money by promoting such things,” “They interrupt people’s speeches. “Shouting in the street won’t solve anything”… They suddenly become emotional, raise their voices and show their hostility, and it’s hard to understand why. ■ It’s no wonder that ignorant nicknames like “Dematara” are flying around. During a campaign speech for another candidate, he also said the following: “There are probably some people among those gathered here who could be considered agents of a dictatorial regime. Money may come in a variety of forms. “They may be receiving favors from the dictatorial regime in various ways.”
Are there operatives of the dictatorial regime among those listening to his election street speeches? Are there people who are receiving favors from the dictatorial regime? People who hear this speech probably have no idea what Kono means by the dictatorial regime, or what he means by operatives. Even though he is now just an ordinary person, he is a politician with experience as a cabinet minister. Isn’t that an inappropriate thing to say in public? “Regarding rumors and slander.” Although Kono explains the various opinions about him on his website, it is not surprising that unflattering nicknames such as “Demattaro” are being thrown around.
If you think about it normally, there’s no way a scumbag like Demattaro could get elected, but I guess the level of civility in Kanagawa is extremely low.
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