While remote work arrangements became the norm during the pandemic, one Japanese lawmaker has been deemed to have taken it too far by never showing up in Parliament during his now-shortlived political career.
Lawmakers unanimously voted to expel Mr Yoshikazu Higashitani, better known in Japan by his YouTube persona GaaSyy, for absenteeism since he was elected in July 2022.
The decision was finalised by Japan's Upper House of the National Diet on Wednesday, making him the first lawmaker to be sacked from Parliament without ever entering it.
Japanese media said he is the first MP to be thrown out of the Diet since 1951.
An expulsion is the most serious disciplinary punishment in the Japanese Diet. Before it comes to that, a lawmaker can be warned, suspended from Parliament or be required to apologise.
"GaaSyy doesn't understand the foundations of democracy, which is based on laws and rules." said Mr Muneo Suzuki, head of the parliamentary disciplinary committee.
The Dubai-based Higashitani, 51, claimed he has remained overseas for fear of being arrested over a "false criminal complaint". The YouTuber is being investigated by Tokyo police for allegedly intimidating and defaming celebrities in his videos.
He is also reported to be suspected of fraud for collecting money from fans of K-pop boy band BTS in return for never fulfilled opportunities to meet members of the popular Korean group.
Under Japan's Constitution, MPs are "exempt from apprehension while the Diet is in session", but Mr Higashitani will lose those immunity privileges after he loses his seat.
Last month, he was given the chance to show up and apologise in Parliament, a disciplinary measure. Mr Higashitani reportedly agreed to comply, only to later announce on social media that he would be going to Turkey to support humanitarian efforts for the earthquake. His offer to apologise on video was also rejected.
As at the end of February, Mr Higashitani had received a total of 18.4 million yen (S$184,000) in parliamentary stipends since he was elected into an office he has not entered, a sum he may be asked to return.
He has been abroad since he was elected last year, notably celebrating his poll win on video from the United Arab Emirates with supporters of his NHK Party, which is known, ironically, for opposing national Japanese broadcaster NHK and its arbitrary fee collection regulations.
His perpetual absence already had its first political casualty last week, when former NHK party chief Takashi Tachibana stepped down, albeit begrudgingly, to take responsibility on behalf of Mr Higashitani.
"It's a shame, perhaps, that he didn't return but I think that's all right," Mr Tachibana told The Mainichi last week. "I'm surprised that there are so many idiotic politicians moving to expel him. I don't think at all that he's caused any trouble."
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Before he became a YouTuber, Mr Higashitani was a businessman who ran bars in major Japanese cities including Tokyo and Osaka. Local media reported that he enjoyed a flamboyant lifestyle of "money, liquor and women" and also made friends in show business.
But he reportedly racked up millions in gambling debts and had to be talked out of taking his own life by his mother.
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To pay his debts, he began producing expose videos on Japanese celebrities, thanks to insights from his entertainment network contacts.
His bombshell videos featured commentary on TV hosts and their relationships or extramarital affairs, attracting more than a million subscribers and making his channel, titled The Underbelly Of The Celebrity World, one of YouTube's fastest growing ones until it was taken down.
His online popularity was enough to attract political attention, and Mr Higashitani was invited by the anti-NHK party to run on what turned out to be a victorious election campaign to Japan's Upper House in Parliament.
Despite no longer operating on YouTube, Mr Higashitani maintains a pay-per-view channel called Gastyle, charging his 40,000-strong subscriber pool 3,980 yen (S$39) a month each for his revealing commentary on the darker side of Japanese celebrities.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
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