Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions from opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda during a Lower House plenary session on Nov. 4. (The Asahi Shimbun)

In the mid-1980s, when British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) was at the height of her power, I used to attend sessions of the British Parliament as an observer.

I was a university student then, writing a short paper on prime ministerial debates. At first, I was startled by the raucous heckling, but I soon grew accustomed to the boisterous soundtrack of the House of Commons—the shouts of “Hear, hear!,” “Hypocrite!,” and “Resign!”—and began to enjoy it.

Whenever the shouting grew too loud or the language too harsh, the speaker would sternly call out, “Order!”

At the time, Thatcher’s conservative government, driven by its “small state” policy agenda, was pursuing budget cuts to social welfare and other programs, fiercely clashing with the Labor Party. The Iron Lady would field questions with unshakable confidence, rarely glancing at her papers.

She even remarked once, “When hecklers stand up, I get a mental jump for joy. It gives me something to get my teeth into—and the audiences love it.”

And how about Japan, where heckling is sometimes called “Kokkai no Hana” (the flower of the Diet)?

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has often spoken of her admiration for Thatcher, faced her first round of questions from party leaders on Nov. 4, following her policy speech that opened the current Diet session.

Her policy address, delivered on Oct. 24, had been interrupted by a barrage of loud jeers, prompting complaints that the uproar made her remarks inaudible. This time, I listened carefully to the exchanges, but everything sounded fairly ordinary.

As she fielded questions on the perennial issue of “politics and money,” revived by a slush fund scandal involving ruling party lawmakers, one heckler shouted, “What about accountability?”

When she spoke about accelerating plans to boost defense spending, another called out, “Where’s the funding?”

There were a few pointed jibes, but also the usual, tired refrains such as, “We already know that!”

While mere emotional outbursts add little, there was once a time when heckling was an art form mastered by a few. They were called “Yaji Shogun” (heckling generals).

One was Bukichi Miki (1884-1956).

He later played a central role in the “Hoshu Godo” (conservative merger) that led to the founding of the Liberal Democratic Party in 1955 through the unification of the Liberal Party and the Japan Democratic Party.

In the prewar Imperial Diet, he was famous for his witty interjections, often twisting classical sayings to comic effect, sending the chamber into laughter and applause.

Such clever heckles once enlivened debate and drew out politicians’ true feelings. That era now feels distant, and the actors upon the stage have surely changed.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 5

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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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