Photo/Illutration Daishiro Yamagiwa, former state minister in charge of economic revitalization, speaks about the Unification Church issue in the Diet on Oct. 24. (Koichi Ueda)

It is a doleful feeling seeing a person try to forget their dark past.

In William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” there is a scene where the eponymous protagonist is disturbed by his wife’s profound sense of guilt, which has caused her to have a mental breakdown.

So, Macbeth asks his doctor to give her “some sweet oblivious antidote” to cleanse her heart of her recollection of guilt, but there is nothing the doctor can do.

However, Daishiro Yamagiwa, who resigned on Oct. 24 as the state minister in charge of economic revitalization, has proven himself to be an expert at erasing his own memory, as if swallowing that “sweet oblivious antidote.”

Every time Yamagiwa was asked to recall his ties with the former Unification Church, he evasively replied that he either had no recollection or that his memory was shaky.

However, he had a sudden recollection when confronted with evidence--a photo of himself with the church’s leader.

“I remembered meeting him some time in the past. So, this must have been then,” he said.

Lady Macbeth must be surprised by his ability to conveniently remember a forgotten memory.

Moreover, Yamagiwa even went so far as to predict, “It’s possible more new facts will emerge in the days ahead.”

During a Lower House Budget Committee session on Oct. 24, Yamagiwa changed tactics every time he was asked if he could remember anything by replying, "I can't be sure."

Ridiculed as “Setogiwa Daijin” (literally, “minister of the brink” and a pun on his name) and even seen to be on the verge of immediately being forced out, Yamagiwa still held out for more than two months.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who kept reiterating that he expected each of his ministers to explain themselves, must have finally run out of patience.

Macbeth’s famous soliloquy goes: “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.”

Someone may believe they have acted with consummate skill, but once their time is up, nothing remains behind.

Yamagiwa’s exit reminded me of this impermanence.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 25

* * *

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.

 

Related News