Video of Takaichi’s Visit to Quake-Hit Kumamoto under Fire

Tokyo, Aug. 8 (Jiji Press)–A roughly two-minute video of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to earthquake-stricken Kumamoto Prefecture on Monday has sparked controversy, with some saying that it is like a promotional video for the country’s leader. The video was created by the prime minister’s office and posted on its official account on X, formerly Twitter, on the night of the visit. The 7.1-magnitude temblor, which struck on July 28, registered 7, the highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, in some municipalities in the southwestern Japan prefecture. Accompanied by piano music, the video mainly shows the prime minister filmed from various angles, including during her inspection from aboard a flying helicopter. Footage of Takaichi shaking hands with survivors was edited to be in slow motion, and the video ends with a survivor expressing gratitude to the prime minister. A survey using social media analysis tool Brandwatch showed that there were a total of approximately 14,900 replies to and reposts of the video as of Thursday. Many of them were critical of the video, with one post saying that it “only looks like an advertisement aimed at shoring up the approval rating of the (Takaichi) administration” and another describing the video as “political use of disaster-stricken areas.” Meanwhile, there were also supportive remarks, with one post saying, “I think disaster victims will feel encouraged.” Opposition parties have also voiced their disapproval. Renho, a lawmaker of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, or parliament, slammed the video on X. The Japanese Communist Party’s Taku Yamazoe said that he was “aghast” at the actions of the prime minister’s office. The controversy came after the prime minister was criticized in the Diet session through last month over allegations that her campaign staff created videos defaming rival candidates in recent elections. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara defended the latest video at a press conference on Wednesday, saying, “We have made videos summarizing prime ministers’ visits to disaster-stricken areas before.” The addition of music to the video was “one of the techniques to convey the prime minister’s action to the public in an easy-to-understand way,” the top government spokesman said. “The video has blown up due to its intense staging and self-promotion,” Mamoru Nishiyama, associate professor at J. F. Oberlin University who specializes in advertising and marketing, said. “The video excessively emphasizes that (the prime minister) is taking action, and this has had a negative effect.” “There is no need to add background music,” Nishiyama went on. Noting that the prime minister appears in the video as “the main subject,” he said, “This is not a good way to make a video at all.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]