Japan upper house to order YouTuber lawmaker to apologize over continued absence

TOKYO -- An upper house disciplinary committee decided on the morning of Feb. 21 to order YouTuber-turned-lawmaker GaaSyy to apologize in the Diet chamber over his continued absence.

House of Councillors lawmaker GaaSyy, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, has not attended a single Diet session since his election in July 2022. The upper house will officially decide on disciplinary action against the NHK Party member at a plenary session on Feb. 22. If he refuses to accept the punishment, such as by continuing to not show up, the disciplinary committee will hold a meeting again at a later date, and intends to impose the severest punishment of "expulsion" against him.

This is the first disciplinary action against an upper house member since the 30-day suspension of Antonio Inoki, a then member of Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), for visiting North Korea without permission in 2013. GaaSyy has continued to stay in the United Arab Emirates even after his election and did not respond to an "invitation" urging his attendance, issued under upper house president Hidehisa Otsuji's name. Otsuji then referred the matter to the disciplinary committee on Feb. 10.

(Japanese original by Itsuo Tokubo, Political News Department)