Photo/Illutration Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

There are some slips of the tongue that should never be made. But humans do err, unfortunately.

Rakugo (comic storytelling) artist Danshiro Tatekawa cites some real-life examples in his book "Motto Koe ni Dashite Waraeru Nihongo" (More spoken Japanese that can crack people up).

Here's one: The chief marketing executive of a company made an impassioned address at a corporate rally, urging all workers to unite and give their best to overcome the recession.

"Minna, isshi matowanu danketsushin de ganbaro," he said.

Since "isshi matowanu" is a Japanese idiom for "stark naked," his speech translated literally as, "Everyone, let's all do our very best in a spirit of stark naked solidarity."

He should have said, "isshi midarenu," (literally, "not a stitch out of place") denoting a state of perfect coordination.

Next, the president of the company spoke, only to make matters worse.

Reminding the workers that there was no going back, he blurted, "Sude ni saji wa nageraretanoda."

This translates literally as "the spoon has been thrown already," meaning "I've given it up already as hopeless."

What he obviously meant to say was that "the die has already been cast," and the word he should have used was "sai," instead of "saji."

Hearing these gaffes in succession from their big bosses, the workers must have felt uneasy about the future of their company.

On March 23, my jaw dropped when Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai used the expression "tazan no ishi" (someone else's example seen as an object lesson), referring to Katsuyuki Kawai, a former LDP member.

Asked to comment on the bribery charges on which Lower House legislator Kawai is being tried in court, Nikai stated, "The LDP must deal with this by letting it be an object lesson."

But it was the LDP headquarters that endorsed Kawai's wife, Anri, as one of the two LDP candidates in the 2019 Upper House election, which formed the very backdrop of the bribery scandal in which the Kawais are implicated.

And it was also the LDP headquarters that provided Anri Kawai with a whopping 150 million yen ($1.38 million) campaign fund.

It is highly doubtful that the Kawais could have bought as many votes as they allegedly did without the LDP's backing.

For the party, this scandal is anything but "someone else's example." Nikai should have been deeply ashamed that this mess was of his party's own making.

Lately, Nikai's rough or irresponsible utterances have become more notable.

When Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and others came under public criticism for attending a large dinner party despite government restrictions on indoor gatherings, Nikai defended the prime minister, arguing, "Having dinner wasn't the reason why he attended the gathering."

Well, I haven't heard of too many gatherings where eating is the sole purpose.

And asked about the government's pandemic response when he appeared on a TV program, Nikai snapped, "Stop trying to find fault with everything."

Is Nikai able to remain in power for so long as party secretary-general because the LDP's solidarity is in perfect coordination?

This makes me feel like giving up on the situation as hopeless.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 25

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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