Japan’s oddball populists
Boring mainstream politicians are inspiring opportunists
A trembling voice leaks from a white flip phone: “My father passed away and hadn’t paid his nhk bill. What should I do?” Tachibana Takashi, a politician, advises the caller to ignore any requests from the national broadcaster’s notoriously strict bill collectors. After dealing with the call, Mr Tachibana films a video excoriating the broadcaster for his YouTube channel. He concludes, as always, by holding up his fists and shouting his party’s slogan: “nhk wo bukkowasu! (Destroy nhk!)”
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “A storm in a satellite dish”
From the November 26th 2022 edition
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