Private Life Expos? Specialist Japanese YouTuber Becomes Lawmaker but Ultimately Expelled

No Attendance in National Assembly Since Election in July Last Year
First Case of Expulsion for Nonattendance
Popularity Gained Through Celebrity Allegations and Personal Life Revelations

After being elected in the July upper house election last year, a former YouTuber turned lawmaker who did not participate in any parliamentary sessions even for a single day has been decided to be expelled.

According to NHK on the 14th, the upper house disciplinary committee held a review meeting that day and unanimously decided to expel Representative Kashi (real name: Higashitani Yoshikazu) of the Seijikagyojo48 Party, stripping him of his lawmaker status. The upper house plans to vote on Kashi's expulsion at the plenary session on the 15th.

Assemblyman 'Gasi' (right), elected last July. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The upper house issued a disciplinary action on the 22nd of last month, ordering Kashi, who has been staying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and has not attended sessions for over half a year, to appear in the parliamentary chamber and apologize.

However, Kashi did not comply, and the upper house ultimately decided on the severest punishment, expulsion. The party argued that expelling a member solely for non-attendance was illegal, but this was not accepted. This is the first time in Japan that expulsion has been decided due to absence from parliament.

Muneyo Suzuki, chairman of the upper house disciplinary committee, said, "Representative Kashi does not recognize the basic principle of democracy that laws and rules must be upheld," adding, "Considering the weight of being elected by the people through a democratic election process, we followed procedures and steps leading to expulsion."

Since February last year, Kashi has been active as a YouTuber exposing suspicions and private matters of celebrities under the name "Kashi." He gained explosive popularity with over one million subscribers, and last year, at the invitation of the NHK Party, he ran as a proportional representation candidate under the YouTube name "Kashi."

He was elected with about 280,000 votes, supported by young people disappointed with established politics. The NHK Party changed its name to Seijikagyojo48 Party on the 8th.

Moreover, Kashi currently does not live in Japan. It is reported that he is residing in Dubai, citing threats to his life if he stays in Japan. Kashi also expressed his gratitude for being elected through YouTube, saying, "Thank you to the viewers and followers who supported me."