He created a "Fukushima Surfing Show" and after more than half a month of "Ghost Worship"

"This is truly a kind of irony."

Author: Xu Ye

After the "Prime Minister Eats Broadcasting," Japanese politicians have come up with new tricks.

On September 3rd, in order to demonstrate the so-called "safety" of nuclear contaminated water being discharged into the sea to the outside world, Shinjiro Koizumi caused waves on the coast of Fukushima Prefecture

·Koizumi Jinjiro is surfing on the coast of Fukushima Prefecture.

Shinjiro Koizumi was once Japan's Minister of Environment and the second son of former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

With his prominent family background, handsome appearance, and painstakingly crafted fan image, Koizumi Jinjiro gained a high level of popularity after entering politics. A few years ago, many people predicted that he would become the Prime Minister of Japan in the future.

However, as the saying goes, "I thought it was just beginning, but I didn't expect it to be the peak.". After joining the cabinet in September 2019, the words, deeds, and abilities of Shinjiro Koizumi began to be questioned.

What is he thinking about now when he is creating this "Fukushima Surfing Show"? "It's no different from other Japanese politicians, it's just about trying to reap a wave of political dividends," said Chen Yang, a visiting researcher at the Japan Research Center at Liaoning University.

Relying on my father to enter politics

The Koizumi family, where Shinjiro Koizumi belongs, is one of the five major political families in Japan.

His great grandfather has served as the Minister of Communications, his grandfather as the Minister of Defense, and his father as Prime Minister for over 5 years. His family's political capital is quite substantial. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, upon seeing Koizumi Shinjiro, is said to also take the initiative to greet him, "Thank you for your father's care before."

When Koizumi Jinjiro was two years old, his parents divorced. He and his 4-year-old brother Koizumi Kotaro both live with their father, but his father is busy with government affairs all day and has little time to manage them.

Later on, his brother Koizumi Kotaro's grades could only go to night schools at Japanese universities, and he ended up dropping out. Having no interest in boring studies and no connection to complex politics, Koizumi Kotaro decided to dive into the entertainment industry and change his life path.

He worked hard to get by and eventually managed to make a name for himself. His representative works include "The Kitchen God of Wudong", "Love Call Center", and a Japanese drama remake of "The Proud Wife". He also served as a regular host for the popular variety show "Human Observation".

If my older brother doesn't take over my father's class, this "heavy responsibility" naturally falls on my second son, Jinjiro Koizumi.

Koizumi Jinjiro studied at a private Kanto University and was also exposed by his classmates for poor grades. In order to gild, I went to study abroad at Columbia University in the United States after graduation and obtained a master's degree in political science.

After returning to China, he first worked as a researcher at the American Institute for Strategic International Studies in Japan and was soon arranged to work as a secretary for his father.

This operation has caused some Japanese people's aversion. They believe that it is precisely because politicians engage in hereditary politics, allowing their children to enter the political arena one after another, that more and more politicians are not taking action.

In 2009, Shinjiro Koizumi participated in the election for members of the House of Representatives. This is his first time running for election, and as expected, he encountered many awkward moments:

He sends business cards on the street, but no one is willing to take them. Occasionally, someone else takes them and even shreds them in front of him;

When giving a speech on the street, he thought the person who opened the window was there to listen to him, and excitedly waved to them. However, the other person took out a drum and pounded it fiercely, intentionally causing damage;

He wanted to shake hands with the voters, but they not only didn't shake hands with him, but also spat at him

But backed by a powerful family and possessing resources that ordinary people cannot imagine, Shinjiro Koizumi was still successfully elected and has been making great strides in politics.

At the same time, he did not forget to establish himself as a fan.

In order to make people feel approachable and down-to-earth, he shakes hands and interacts with the public whenever he has the opportunity; In order to make people feel like they are not following the crowd and have unique insights, he is always at odds with the heavens and the earth, sometimes not even giving face to his own father.

Even marriage seems to have some political considerations. In August 2019, he suddenly announced his flash marriage to renowned Japanese French mixed race television host Kristen Takagawa.

As the elder sister of the Japanese hosting industry, Kristen Takagawa once helped Tokyo win the bid to host the 2020 Olympics with a passionate speech, making her Japan's "national goddess".

Some people analyze that Koizumi Jinjiro's choice to marry this career oriented woman helped him gain the support of Japanese female voters who are increasingly self-awareness.

After years of management and character building, Koizumi Jinjiro successfully reversed his reputation.

In September 2019, then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe significantly adjusted his cabinet, with Shinjiro Koizumi appointed as Minister of Environment. This year, Koizumi Jinjiro was only 38 years old. According to Japanese media reports, he is the third youngest cabinet minister in Japan after the end of World War II.

At that time, a survey by Nikkei Shimbun showed that 29% of respondents answered that Shinjiro Koizumi was the "most suitable candidate for the next Prime Minister", ranking first, while only 16% of respondents tended to support Abe's continued re-election.

The performance is very jerky

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However, after entering the cabinet, Koizumi Jinjiro's performance was astonishing.

When he went to Fukushima, when asked about nuclear pollution, he evaded the importance and gave a very general and ambiguous answer, which was complained by Japanese netizens that he could not understand Jin Jilang's poems. When asked about the issue of nuclear contaminated water discharge, he changed the topic abruptly and talked about his anecdotes about red bass with the local fishery manager in Fukushima.

When he went to the United States, he was interviewed by overseas media and talked about global warming. He actually said, "When dealing with big issues like climate change, we must be interesting, calm, and sexy." Such remarks made many Japanese feel embarrassed, with several opposition lawmakers publicly criticizing Koizumi Jinjiro, while others accused him of not having the qualifications and qualifications to serve as a cabinet minister.

Koizumi Jinjiro may not have expected to fall into such a situation due to his speech.

In his early years, in order to be witty and humorous at the beginning of his speech and attract votes, he deliberately sought out a teacher to learn "catchphrases". During a speech, he even self deprecated, saying, "Although another candidate comes from a political family like me, his father is different from mine because his father is not a weirdo."

But after entering the cabinet, some of his self proclaimed humorous remarks became inappropriate. Government officials are also concerned that he often does not speak according to prepared manuscripts, stating that if he continues to do so, he will only make more and more mistakes.

After more than a month as Minister of the Environment, Shinjiro Koizumi forcefully defended himself in the House of Representatives, saying that "because it is the first time, there will inevitably be some mistakes and constant exploration," and once again emphasizing his "ambition" to continue working in the field of the environment.

However, as the saying goes, "listen to what they say and observe what they do", there are still many problems after Koizumi Jinjiro.

In February 2020, during the critical period of epidemic resistance, the Japanese government held the headquarters meeting of COVID-19 countermeasures. As a cabinet minister, Shinjiro Koizumi did not attend a meeting, but instead attended a New Year's party and drank with his supporters.

Faced with the public's criticism and opposition party's anger, Koizumi Jinjiro had no defense. Finally, during an interview, then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had to step forward to apologize to the public on behalf of Shinjiro Koizumi, stating that he would deeply reflect on the matter.

In April 2021, despite strong opposition from neighboring countries such as China and concerns from the domestic public, the Japanese government made a decision to discharge the contaminated water accumulated at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, causing a public uproar.

As the Minister of Environment, Shinjiro Koizumi did not convey public opinion on this decision to seriously pollute the environment. Instead, he went to the United States to participate in an event where he demanded that China "accelerate climate action.".

Even more amusing was an interview a few days later.

At that time, the Japanese government had just announced a new target for greenhouse gas emissions reduction, which would significantly increase from 26% in 2013 to 46%.

How was this number calculated? The reporter from Japanese television station was very curious and asked Jinjiro Koizumi a question during the interview.

Koizumi Jinjiro replied, "In a daze, there is a number that comes to my mind, it's 46!"

The reporter asked incredulously, "Does it come to mind?"

Koizumi Jinjiro answered seriously, "Yes, it just appeared in my mind."

·Koizumi Jinjiro's speech left the journalist's eyes filled with disbelief.

After the program aired, Shinjiro Koizumi's speech quickly caused group ridicule. A Japanese netizen commented that Shinjiro Koizumi is more like a fortune teller than a politician. Another Japanese netizen speculated that Shinjiro Koizumi may be a fan of a large Japanese female idol group, Nogizaka46, which is why the number 46 comes to mind

"These comments have attracted widespread criticism from Koizumi Jinjiro and have also made him 'disenchanted' in front of the Japanese public. The Japanese people have learned about his true abilities. Now, the popular selection of 'future prime ministers' released by Japanese media, he is not even in the top five." Chen Yang said.

Show off and attract attention

It is worth noting that Koizumi Jinjiro inherited from his father not only a ticket warehouse, but also political beliefs. He actively advocates a pro American approach and has visited the Yasukuni Shrine several times, which enshrines 14 Class A war criminals from World War II. On the morning of August 15th this year, he still went to worship ghosts.

Koizumi Jinjiro never straightened his historical attitude and only regarded politics as a means to maintain the so-called family glory.

On September 3rd, he organized the "Fukushima Surfing Show" and claimed that it was to "stand up and showcase the charm of the Fukushima ocean", to "refute domestic and foreign criticisms of water treatment," which is not surprising.

In Chen Yang's view, Shinjiro Koizumi is now seeking to change the perception of the Japanese people towards him and reshape his image as a "young, patriotic politician".

After surfing that day, Koizumi Jinjiro also had a "food broadcast" and tasted "halibut sashimi produced in the Joban area" in front of the camera. This move is exactly the same as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida a few days ago.

·Koizumi Jinjiro eats seafood after surfing.

"This is really a kind of irony," Chen Yang said. After the 2011 earthquake caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant nuclear leak, the sales of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products produced in Fukushima Prefecture have been poor both domestically and internationally, and many Japanese consumers are resistant to "Fukushima Prefecture produced" products. However, in the past decade or so, people have rarely seen Japanese politicians consuming and recommending agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products produced in Fukushima Prefecture in public. It has been less than half a month since nuclear contaminated water was discharged into the sea, and these politicians have started publicly consuming agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products from Fukushima Prefecture and its surrounding areas in front of the camera.

"They put on a show, on the one hand, to prove the 'safety' of food in Fukushima Prefecture and its surrounding areas after nuclear contaminated water was discharged into the sea through personal consumption; on the other hand, they also took the opportunity to reap a wave of political dividends, win the favor and support of some Japanese voters, and prepare for future elections and other preparations."

According to Chen Yang's observation, many Japanese people are averse to such show behavior. "After all, showing off does not help solve the root of the problem. Aquatic products in Fukushima Prefecture and its surrounding areas are still stored in large quantities in cold storage, which is an objective reality."

As spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, said: How to dispose of nuclear contaminated water is not a private matter for Japan alone, nor is it a matter between individual countries. It is a major issue related to whether it pollutes the ocean or protects it, damages the environment or cares for it, endangers human health or maintains human health. On this issue, Japan needs to face not a single country, but the entire international community. What Japan should do is not to cry out for justice in the face of the victim, but to reflect and reflect on itself as the perpetrator.

This principle must be understood as soon as possible by "Koizumi Jinjiro" who are busy showing off.