Photo/Illutration Fumio Kishida and a “hissho shamoji” victory rice scoop on Nov. 4, 2020 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Something feels off, but I just can’t put my finger on it. I am referring to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s gifting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a wooden “hissho shamoji” rice scoop believed to bring victory.

A specialty of Hiroshima where Kishida is from, it is a lucky charm that supposedly helps the owner “scoop up” victory as if were rice. Sports fans in Hiroshima bring them to stadiums in hopes of seeing their team triumph, while at election times, campaign staffers carry them for the candidates they work for.

But I still can’t quite fathom what makes Kishida tick.

“As a diplomatic custom, it is pretty common for the leader of a nation to bring something from their homeland as a gift to the host nation,” said Kishida.

But Ukraine is at war. Many lives on both sides of the conflict are being lost. I don’t think it was appropriate for Kishida, whose nation upholds peaceful diplomacy, to try to convey an anti-war message with something as utterly naive as the word “victory” written on a wooden rice scoop.

In fact, many of Kishida’s recent words and deeds have raised questions about their propriety.

For one, at a recent supporters’ convention, he distributed “Summit manju” buns with sweet bean paste fillings. The Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May provides an ideal opportunity for Japan to appeal for peace from the site of the 1945 atomic bombing. But for Kishida, I suppose the importance of impressing himself upon his constituents justifies even using the summit for self-promotion.

When he was visiting Fukushima, he was asked by a young man why he decided to become prime minister. He answered, “The prime minister has the greatest authority in Japan.” The flimsiness of his words left me feeling weak.

Authority is nothing more than a means to an end, never an end in itself. Why didn’t Kishida speak frankly about his ideals upon which he sought to become a politician?

Listen, Mr. Kishida. Don’t you ever see there’s something alarmingly “off” about yourself?

In his current leadership role, Kishida is locked in policy debates of great significance that may well change the nature of our country, such as vastly increased defense spending.

Where is Kishida taking us to? I am deeply worried.

--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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