Photo/Illutration New LDP President Shigeru Ishiba meets with reporters at the party headquarters in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on Sept. 27. (Takeshi Iwashita)

The Japanese expression “mimizawari” translates as “offensive to one’s ears.” It means that something one hears is annoying or disagreeable, according to a Japanese dictionary.

Lately, however, I have begun to notice that the word is often misused to mean the exact opposite--“pleasing to the ears”--as in the paradoxical phrase “mimizawari no ii hanashi” which translates literally as “offensive words that are pleasing to hear.”

Am I supposed to understand that the meaning of the word “mimizawari” has simply changed?

Shigeru Ishiba was elected the new Liberal Democratic Party president on Sept. 27. With nine candidates running, it was the most crowded race in the party’s history.

Looking back on this past month or so, I believe I heard many “mimizawari no ii hanashi” from the candidates.

Ishiba himself repeatedly made promises such as “local community revitalization” and “everyone smiling and living without worries.”

They are certainly easy on the ears, but difficult to make them happen.

What Ishiba should have done instead was to explain how he would change the party’s old-style politics by tackling thorny issues nobody wants to discuss, not just recite pleasant slogans.

Despite his background as a former LDP secretary-general, Ishiba did not shy away from addressing unpopular issues, which earned him the nickname of the “intraparty opposition party.”

Now that he is the party leader, he will be tested on how true he will remain to his stated convictions.

And for that, he must start off by getting to the bottom of the slush fund scandal.

“Tsurezuregusa” (Essays in Idleness) by Yoshida Kenko (c.1283-c.1350) contains a passage that goes to the effect, “Unless an issue is handled in proper order, people will not listen and there will be no progress.”

Well now, I may have started complaining as usual, saying things that will annoy people.

But what must politicians talk about now? I personally would feel a lot more at home if they say things that must be said and are harsh on the ears--in other words, “mimizawari” in its proper meaning.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 28

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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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