Photo/Illutration Yoshikazu Higashitani’s nameplate is not upright, indicating his absence at the Upper House plenary session on Jan. 23. (Koichi Ueda)

A controversial YouTube gossip vlogger who won a seat in Japan’s Upper House is refusing to return to the country to apologize for his protracted absence.

And it may soon get him kicked out of the chamber.

Yoshikazu Higashitani, a YouTuber-turned-lawmaker known online as “GaaSyy,” has informed his secretary he will not attend the March 8 plenary session of the Diet, as ordered by the Upper House’s disciplinary committee, to apologize for failing to appear for any parliamentary proceedings.

“I will not return to Japan (on March 8),” Higashitani said in an email to his secretary on March 7. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

The email did not explain why Higashitani refuses to return to Japan for the March 8 session, according to his secretary.

His secretary informed the Upper House of the contents of the email and provided the chamber with a video Higashitani had sent him earlier where he reads out a statement of apology.

Higashitani ran in the July Upper House election using his real name as a candidate of the NHK party, which opposes fees collected by the public broadcaster.

He won his first seat by gaining around 280,000 votes.

But he has not returned to Japan from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates since the election campaign.

Higashitani’s party read out a statement on his behalf in February that said he “could be unfairly detained” if he returns to Japan because various people have filed complaints with police accusing him of defaming and threatening them.

That same day, the Upper House’s disciplinary committee decided he must appear in person in the chamber to apologize for his absenteeism.

An apology in the chamber is one of the least severe of the four punishments that the Upper House can give to its members.

The strongest measure at its disposal is expulsion, which is the likely next course of action if he fails to appear.

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