Photo/Illutration 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)

GaaSyy, a YouTuber who was elected to the Upper House last July but has never attended a legislative session, recently released a video message in which he refused to return to Japan from the United Arab Emirates, where he resides.

Watching the video, I was reminded of the Pasquino statue, which stands on a street corner in Rome. Known as the first “talking statue” of Rome, it has been chattering away for more than 500 years--well, not literally, of course.

What I mean by that is, people have been writing messages on pieces of paper and attaching them to the statue.

Many of them are criticisms and satires about politicians, but those that attract the most attention are voyeuristic in nature--celebrity gossip, soccer match-fixing scandals, rumors of elected officials cheating on taxes and so on.

The veracity of such claims is suspect. Most of the messages are written in a broad Roman dialect Pasquino is said to speak.

When you read them, you realize how much people everywhere have always loved exposing scandals and listening to gossip. Thus, it is small wonder that GaaSyy, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, picked up a whopping 300,000 votes in the Upper House election for jabbering on about controversial revelations in the Kansai dialect.

Voters who supported GaaSyy told The Asahi Shimbun that they hoped he would make politicians fear exposure and behave themselves. GaaSyy, himself, also wrote, “I want to smack the heads, one by one, of all those jerks who sleep through Diet sessions.”

But he has done nothing, staying in faraway Dubai, afraid of returning to Japan and getting arrested.

The recent proliferation of video footage of restaurant and bar patrons acting abominably is one form of exposing scandalous behavior. A smartphone is all that’s needed to expose and share. The impact has been such that the victim companies’ stock prices fell.

GaaSyy may be expelled from the Upper House, but a “replacement” could appear in no time.

The Pasquino statue in Rome remains standing today, his head tilted upward and to the right. He is waiting for some important truth hidden among sordid scandals and gossip.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 10

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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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