Takaichi Sanae, Japanese Prime Minister [Photo provided by EPA=Yonhap News]
Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s casual personal remarks on social media (SNS) have sparked controversy.
On the 21st, while traveling to South Africa to attend the G20 summit, Prime Minister Takaichi posted a controversial message on X (formerly Twitter).
She recalled a statement from member Hiroshi Ando of the Sanseito Party delivered during the Budget Committee meeting on the 14th, urging her to “wear clothes made of the finest Japanese fabrics by the best artisans when meeting world leaders. Cheap clothes could make one be looked down upon.” Takaichi disclosed that she agonized over choosing her attire the day before her departure.
She added, “Ando’s point seemed valid, so I spent several hours selecting clothes that don’t appear cheap or demeaning,” concluding the post by saying, “I packed my usual jacket and dress, but perhaps I should go out of my way to buy clothes that allow me to take the mount during diplomatic negotiations.”
Attention turned to the phrase “clothes that allow me to take the mount.”
“Mount” is derived from the English word “mounting” (an animal climbing onto another animal) and in Japan, “to take the mount” means to present oneself as superior to others.
Democratic Party of Japan member Ryuichi Yoneyama criticized on his X account, “One is free to think as they wish, but publicly expressing it makes others think ‘They’re trying to take the mount now,'” adding, “Before that, what kind of clothes would allow one to take the mount?”
Communist Party member Akira Koike posted on X, questioning, “Isn’t it reckless and indiscreet for a sitting prime minister to make statements like ‘taking the mount during diplomatic negotiations’ while on a plane to an international conference?”
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