Latest news with #YosukeTsuruho
Japan Today
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Ruling LDP member quits as upper house panel chief over gaffe
A senior ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker resigned Monday as head of the House of Councillors' powerful Budget Committee over controversial comments he made about a devastating earthquake that hit central Japan last year. The decision by Yosuke Tsuruho, who had described the quake as "fortunate" in showing how public services can be improved, came days ahead of Sunday's upper house election, in which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's LDP and its coalition ally, the Komeito party, face a tough fight. Some LDP members have already voiced concern about the impact of the controversy on the race. After facing a barrage of criticism, Tsuruho tendered a letter of resignation as chair of the Budget Committee to the upper house president. Tsuruho, whose six-year term ends in 2028, has ruled out stepping down as a lawmaker. Since his remark in a campaign event in early July, the veteran lawmaker has drawn a sharp rebuke from residents who are still suffering in the aftermath of the magnitude-7.6 quake that struck the Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day in 2024. Opposition lawmakers have called for him to quit as a lawmaker. Tsuruho has said he meant to highlight the importance of improvements in local government services even in times of disaster, but he has apologized for and retracted what he admitted was an "inappropriate" remark. The quake killed more than 200 people during or immediately after the earthquake, including those trapped under collapsed buildings. Including those who died from health complications and other disaster-related causes, it has claimed more than 600 lives to date. During a speech at a rally in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, Tsuruho apparently attempted to stress the need for local government administrative tasks -- such as obtaining residence and other official documents -- to be available outside a person's area of residence, as was possible after the Noto earthquake. While praising the government's efforts to simplify such procedures, Tsuruho said, "Fortunately, there was an earthquake in Noto" that demonstrated rules can be relaxed for obtaining official documents away from the area of one's registered address. © KYODO
20 hours ago
- Politics
LDP's Tsuruho Quits as Upper House Committee Chair after Gaffe
News from Japan Jul 14, 2025 19:13 (JST) Tokyo, July 14 (Jiji Press)--Yosuke Tsuruho of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Monday resigned as chairman of the House of Councilors' Budget Committee after being criticized by both ruling and opposition lawmakers for his recent remark about last year's Noto Peninsula earthquake in central Japan. His resignation was approved by Upper House President Masakazu Sekiguchi. His successor will be chosen after the Upper House election on Sunday. During a speech in the western city of Wakayama on Tuesday, Tsuruho said it was "lucky" that the earthquake occurred in the region, claiming that the disaster is expected to help facilitate urban-rural dual residency. Tsuruho later retracted the remark, admitting that he lacked consideration for the disaster-hit areas. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
The Mainichi
a day ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Ruling LDP member quits as upper house panel chief over gaffe
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A senior ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker resigned Monday as head of the House of Councillors' powerful Budget Committee over controversial comments he made about a devastating earthquake that hit central Japan last year. The decision by Yosuke Tsuruho, who had described the quake as "fortunate" in showing how public services can be improved, came days ahead of Sunday's upper house election, in which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's LDP and its coalition ally, the Komeito party, face a tough fight. Some LDP members have already voiced concern about the impact of the controversy on the race. After facing a barrage of criticism, Tsuruho tendered a letter of resignation as chair of the Budget Committee to the upper house president. Tsuruho, whose six-year term ends in 2028, has ruled out stepping down as a lawmaker. Since his remark in a campaign event in early July, the veteran lawmaker has drawn a sharp rebuke from residents who are still suffering in the aftermath of the magnitude-7.6 quake that struck the Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day in 2024. Opposition lawmakers have called for him to quit as a lawmaker. Tsuruho has said he meant to highlight the importance of improvements in local government services even in times of disaster, but he has apologized for and retracted what he admitted was an "inappropriate" remark. The quake killed more than 200 people during or immediately after the earthquake, including those trapped under collapsed buildings. Including those who died from health complications and other disaster-related causes, it has claimed more than 600 lives to date. During a speech at a rally in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, Tsuruho apparently attempted to stress the need for local government administrative tasks -- such as obtaining residence and other official documents -- to be available outside a person's area of residence, as was possible after the Noto earthquake. While praising the government's efforts to simplify such procedures, Tsuruho said, "Fortunately, there was an earthquake in Noto" that demonstrated rules can be relaxed for obtaining official documents away from the area of one's registered address.
Asahi Shimbun
a day ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
LDP committee chair to resign over ‘fortunate' quake remark
Criticized from all sides, the chair of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Upper House Budget Committee decided to resign from the post for a remark that angered survivors of the deadly Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Yosuke Tsuruho, 58, has already submitted his resignation letter to the LDP's Upper House speaker, according to a senior party member. But Tsuruho earlier denied he would vacate his Upper House seat or leave the party, saying, 'At present, I am not thinking that far.' Tsuruho made the offensive comment in a speech in support of an LDP candidate for the Upper House election in Wakayama on July 8. He said efforts to create 'two-region lifestyles,' in which people can have two different bases of living, had progressed after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on New Year's Day last year. 'Fortunately, there was an earthquake in Noto,' he said. Tsuruho was criticized as insensitive by disaster victims as well as ruling and opposition party members. He also received a stern warning from Hiroshi Moriyama, the LDP secretary-general. Tsuruho issued a statement of apology and retracted the statement later on July 8. 'I did not mean to imply that the Noto region was lucky to have been hit by the disaster,' he said. 'I deeply regret my lack of consideration for the victims and my inadequate words, and I apologize and withdraw my comment.' He also held a news conference on the following day to apologize. Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, criticized Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba over the Tsuruho incident. After Tsuruho's decision to resign became known, Noda told reporters on July 12: 'There was a sense that he left (the matter) to the Upper House and LDP leaders. It is regrettable that we did not see any leadership from (Ishiba).' Tetsuo Saito, leader of Komeito, the LDP's junior coalition partner, said, 'It is only natural that (Tsuruho) should resign' from the post. 'Considering the seriousness of what he said, he should have made a decision earlier,' Saito said. Tsuruho was first elected to the Upper House in 1998 in the Wakayama prefectural district. He is currently serving his fifth term in the Diet chamber.
3 days ago
- Politics
Tsuruho to Quit as Diet Committee Chief over Quake Gaffe
News from Japan Politics Jul 12, 2025 18:03 (JST) Tokyo, July 12 (Jiji Press)--Japanese ruling party lawmaker Yosuke Tsuruho plans to resign as chairman of a parliamentary committee to take responsibility for a gaffe about a powerful earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in central Japan last year, it was learned Saturday. According to a senior official of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Tsuruho is poised to step down from the post of chairman of the Budget Committee in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, following criticisms of the verbal blunder from both the ruling and opposition sides as well as by people affected by the Jan. 1, 2024, temblor. Tsuruho has already submitted a letter of resignation as Budget Committee chairman to Upper House President Masakazu Sekiguchi, the senior party official said. Tsuruho said in the western Japan city of Wakayama on Tuesday, during a campaign speech for an LDP candidate in the July 20 Upper House election, that "it was lucky that the earthquake occurred in Noto." The remark came as Tsuruho expressed hopes that the temblor would facilitate dual residency, or a lifestyle in which people have two bases of living--one typically in an urban area and the other in a rural location. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
