Former Member of Japanese Girl Group 'Morning Musume' Resigns on the Same Day She Became a Proportional Representative Lawmaker

Shortest Tenure Record Established... Previous Record Was 31 Days
Received 670,000 Won in Salary by Maintaining Assemblyman Position for 93 Minutes

Former member of Japan's famous girl group 'Morning Musume' obtained the qualification as a member of the House of Councillors (upper house) according to the proportional representation list order, but resigned on the same day, setting the record for the shortest tenure in Japanese parliamentary history across both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.

On the 26th, Asahi Shimbun and NHK reported that Sayaka Ichii (市井紗耶香, 40), who was active as part of the 2nd generation of Morning Musume in the 1990s, submitted her resignation letter that morning, which was passed at the House of Councillors plenary session held shortly thereafter. Her tenure as a member lasted 1 day, or exactly 93 minutes when calculated by time. The media noted that the previous shortest tenure for a Japanese parliamentarian was 31 days, making Ichii's record the shortest since World War II in the post-war era.

Ichii Sayaka [Photo by Kyodo News]

Ichii ran for the House of Councillors proportional representation seat in 2019 as a member of the former Constitutional Democratic Party before its merger but narrowly lost. At that time, she received the 9th highest number of votes among proportional representation candidates, but the party was allocated 8 seats, so she did not secure a seat. However, recently, Genki Sudo (須藤元), who was one position ahead on the list, resigned to run as a candidate for the Tokyo 15th district in the upcoming House of Representatives by-election scheduled for the 28th, which automatically transferred the proportional representation seat to Ichii.

After learning of her succession to the proportional representation seat, she expressed no intention to engage in political activities and declared her intention to resign. However, since the current party, the Democratic Party for the People, does not have the authority to change the order of the former Constitutional Democratic Party before the merger, she formally succeeded the seat and then promptly submitted her resignation letter. Despite serving only one day, the salary and allowances she received amounted to 76,000 yen (approximately 670,000 KRW). It is reported that Ichii decided to donate her salary.

Ichii began her entertainment career in 1998, announced her retirement in 2003, and married Naoki Yoshizawa, a member of the band 'Cubic Cross' she had been active with, the following year. Since then, she has experienced a turbulent life including reversing her retirement, divorce, remarriage, and giving birth to four children. She has currently suspended her singing activities and participates in various events promoting a housewife image and related activities.

Morning Musume, formed through a TV Tokyo audition program in 1997, is a famous idol group that has continued activities for nearly 30 years through repeated graduations and new member additions, with the most recent generation being the 17th.