In July last year, Higashitani was elected as a Member of Parliament. Perhaps it is not surprising that he received many votes, because the Japanese is a much-watched YouTuber, writes the newspaper The Japan Times, among others.
He is better known in Japan as GaaSyy, where he criticizes celebrities – like a true king of gossip – from Dubai. When he closed his YouTube channel last year, he had more than a million followers.
Afraid of arrest
And that job, according to Higashitani, is precisely the reason that he cannot come to the parliament of Japan. He says he fears arrest if he enters the country, because he has many celebrity reports of fraud and slander.
But Parliament was wrong about that. His colleagues last week demanded that Higashitani fly to Tokyo to apologize to the House for his months-long absence. It would be his last chance to keep his position.
Anger growing
When Higashitani did not show up, but posted a new YouTube video, the anger in Japan grew even more. Japan’s government and opposition unanimously agreed to officially expel Higashitani from parliament. “GaaSyy does not understand the fundamentals of democracy, which is based on laws and rules,” said Muneo Suzuki, head of the parliament’s disciplinary committee.
Tomorrow the Japanese House of Lords will make a final decision on the suspension, but that seems like a formality.
It is the heaviest punishment you can receive as an MP. Since 1950, it would have happened only twice before that someone was suspended for prolonged absence. But it is the first time that an elected member of parliament has been suspended because he has never appeared in the House.
