It would be eloquent to suggest that the Japanese actor turned leftist political leader Taro Yamamoto was capitalizing on his experiences starring in cult favorite battle royale when he caused a skirmish in Japan’s parliament on Thursday. But the legislature is no doubt willing to sit down for its cause.
A wild scene unfolded Thursday in the upper house of Japan’s legislature as Yamamoto made a desperate attempt to block the passage of a controversial immigration bill by plunging into fellow lawmakers who were in the process of passing the piece of legislation (see video). below ).
Yamamoto had to be physically restrained by fellow lawmakers as he repeatedly jumped to the desk where party leaders debated the measure. The chaos lasted for several minutes, amid loud bickering from lawmakers from both the majority and the opposition. The Japanese Times reports.
Yamamoto’s antics brought the debate to a halt for a moment, but failed to quell the bill, which is expected to receive final approval Friday.
The bill aims to overhaul Japan’s immigration rules and curb the long-term detention of asylum seekers in notoriously harsh conditions. It has the support of Japan’s ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party, as well as two opposition parties. But progressive lawmakers have fiercely opposed it, arguing that it falls nowhere near far enough in protecting the rights of refugees and fails to improve the conditions of asylum seekers already detained in Japan. The issue has been highly charged since 2021, when a 33-year-old Sri Lankan refugee died while detained at an immigration center in Nagoya, sparking outrage over the harsh conditions and practices of such facilities.
Yamamoto began his career as a TV actor in the 1990s, appearing in a series of popular Japanese dramas before moving on to film work. He is best remembered by international movie buffs for his starring role in the ultra-violent cult thriller battle royale (2000), which is generally regarded as the predecessor of Squid game.
Yamamoto continued to work in the film business until the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima meltdown in 2011, when he publicly resigned from his talent agency to devote himself to protesting the Japanese government’s handling of the disaster. Elected to Japan’s House of Councilors in 2013, he has gained notoriety for his unconventional methods, including breaking protocol to confront the Japanese emperor about the country’s nuclear policy, launching a major protest against a controversial state secrecy law and calling for the cancellation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics so funds can be used to support the country’s pandemic relief efforts for the needy. He is the leader and founder of Reiwa Shinsengumi, a left-liberal populist political party.
