Hand in Pocket in Front of No.1... "Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Arrogant" Controversy

Controversy Over Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Not Removing Hand from Pocket

Recently, Seiji Kihara, Chief Cabinet Secretary known as the right-hand man of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, has faced criticism within Japan for not removing his hand from his pocket while watching Prime Minister Kishida's press conference during his visit to the United States. The Chief Cabinet Secretary is the second most powerful figure in Japan after the Prime Minister and also serves as the spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office.

Ki-hara Seiji, Chief Cabinet Secretary. [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 17th, Japanese media such as 'Nikkan Gendai' reported that while Prime Minister Kishida held a press conference summarizing his visit to Washington, D.C. on the 14th, his close aide, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara, was seen looking up at the sky with his hand in his pants pocket.

Despite Prime Minister Kishida beginning his remarks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara stood with a serious expression, his hand stuck in his pocket. Later, he clasped both hands in front of him, but a video capturing this scene spread on Twitter, fueling the wave of criticism.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Japanese netizens reacted critically to his behavior, saying things like "He is too arrogant," "His true character comes out unconsciously," "This is the first time I've seen a Chief Cabinet Secretary with his hand in his pocket next to a Prime Minister holding a press conference," "Is it really that hard to take your hand out of your pocket for a moment?" "Isn't he doing this deliberately to stand out?" and "Isn't he disrespecting not the Prime Minister but the people?"

A Japanese writer pointed out on Twitter that it was "the attitude of an elite former Ministry of Finance bureaucrat, a University of Tokyo Law School graduate, soaked in a 'sense of omnipotence' that looks down on the world."

Meanwhile, born in 1970, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara graduated from the University of Tokyo Law School and entered politics after serving as a bureaucrat at the Ministry of Finance. He is regarded as a key figure who played a major role in the birth of the Kishida administration, including overseeing pledges during the recent Liberal Democratic Party presidential election.