‘Otaku’ Politician Voted In To Japanese Parliament

Finally, a politician for the Otakus! Recently, a politician by the name of Taro Yamada managed to win a seat within the Japanese House of Councillors, running under the banner of the “Party To Protect Freedom and Expression”. Promoting himself as an Otaku and pledging to carry on in the interests of the Otakus were he to become a part of government, Yamada had a decisive victory with over 530,000 votes, making him a representative within the Liberal Democratic Party. What does this mean for Yamada and the politics of Japan?

Anime News Network posted the results of the election on their Official Twitter Account, going into more detail about the political representative of Taro Yamada and the platform that he ran on to win originally:

Yamada managed to leverage his love of anime and manga into not just a political career, but into becoming a popular representative of the mediums on social media. Gaining coverage on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and as many networks as you can think of, Taro has become a household name for many in Japan and its clear that his interests and message had a resounding effect on those whose confidence he needed to gain in order to win.

Politicians have appeared frequently in anime and manga series, with one of the most recent used in our image for the article, in the case of Persona 5’s Toranosuke Yoshida. In the game, and anime series, Yoshida acts as a “confidant” for the main protagonist. Should the player choose, they can form a relationship with this aspiring political figure, strengthening not just their bonds with him, but the monsters that they currently hold sway over. It makes for an interesting relationship hearing about Yoshida’s past life in politics and what he hopes to achieve for his peoples’ future. We’re sure the comparison between Toranosuke and Taro has come up before.

Another anime politcian that comes to mind is Senator Phillips from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. When Dio Brando, the season’s antagonist, needs a lift, he orders the politician to drive him where he needs to be. Phillips obliges and even begins ramming people down in the street at Dio’s request. Wilson Phillips meets a terrible end when the car crashes and leaves the series as quickly as he arrives.

What do you think of the politician Taro Yamada? Do you think his approach could work in other countries? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime!