Tokyo International News Agency

Former Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Kihei Maekawa, has sparked a major uproar on social media after reportedly telling Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is currently recuperating due to ill health, to "get acute pneumonia." This remark has drawn fierce criticism from many users, who called it "undignified" and "lacking in ethics," leading to widespread discussion under the trending topic "acute pneumonia." The controversial remark was directed at Prime Minister Takaichi, whose planned visit to the U.S. was in doubt due to her ill health. Maekawa reportedly posted comments such as, "At this point, you should 'get acute pneumonia' and cancel your trip to the U.S." The statement caused particular outrage given that Prime Minister Takaichi was recovering from a cold and, suffering from rheumatism, is at a higher risk of infection. On SNS X, a torrent of condemnations erupted, with users posti...

The term "Hitler Election Strategy" has recently trended on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), bringing renewed attention to the past statements and actions of certain politicians. In particular, a recommendation written by Sanae Takaichi for a book of the same title, published in 1994, has become a focal point of discussion, leading to fierce online debate about its appropriateness. The book, "Hitler Election Strategy," was authored by Yoshio Ogai in 1994 and published by Chiyoda Nagata Shobo. It purports to analyze Adolf Hitler's election methods from the perspective of applying them to modern politics. However, it is known as a "phantom book" because it was criticized by Jewish human rights organizations and went out of print just two months after its publication. The fact that Ms. Takaichi contributed a recommendation to this book was previously raised as an issue around 2014, a period when several female cabinet ministers resigned fro...