THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
December 27, 2022 at 15:44 JST
GaaSyy, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, greets supporters while live streaming on YouTube in Dubai soon after he won an Upper House seat on July 10, 2022. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Tokyo police are seeking to interview a YouTuber-turned-lawmaker living abroad after receiving complaints from celebrities alleging he slandered and threatened them online, investigators told The Asahi Shimbun.
Yoshikazu Higashitani, 51, is known for dishing out celebrity gossip on his popular YouTube channel under the pseudonym “GaaSyy.”
He was elected to the Upper House in July, but he has yet to step foot in the legislature to attend proceedings, as he has been living in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and refuses to return to Japan.
Investigators said a rash of people, including celebrities, have submitted complaints saying his videos contain threats and defamation against them.
The Metropolitan Police Department is now examining the content of his videos and conducting interviews with people concerned.
But police have determined they need to talk to Higashitani to confirm the facts, and they asked him to submit to voluntary questioning through his lawyer on Dec. 24.
Higashitani is a rookie lawmaker who won his first seat in the July election through the proportional representation system.
He was elected under the banner of the populist NHK Party, which opposes the subscription fee collected by public broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK).
But he remains overseas, claiming that he would be immediately arrested by police if he ever returned to Japan. He was absent for the entirety of the two-month-long extraordinary Diet session that ended on Dec. 10.
The Upper House steering committee issued a parliamentary document to the NHK Party asking for the reason he has not attended any sessions.
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