In Japan, where the birth rate has fallen to historical lows for years, it is nothing new that the birth crisis is a thorny, worrying and difficult issue to address. Politician and novelist Naoki Hyakuta, one of the founders of the Japanese Conservative Party, managed to take the debate to a new extreme by unleashing a political earthquake that forced him and other leaders of his party to apologize in advance.

The reason is very simple. Although Hyakuta assured that these were “science fiction” ideas that he did not share, during a speech on his YouTube channel he used “dystopian analogies” that had people in Japan talking about such far-fetched ideas – among critics, of course. Hypotheses such as banning women over the age of 25 from marrying or removing the womb of those who have reached the age of 30 are put forward.

What happened? Whether he meant it or not, whether he was reacting to a deliberate strategy or a mistake, novelist Naoki Hyakuta, co-founder and leader of the Japanese Conservative Party, has entered the center of the debate about the birth rate crisis in Japan. And its formation is relatively young (it was founded a little over a year ago) and has a modest representation in institutions. It won only three seats in the October House of Representatives elections.

Neither one nor the other could prevent the thoughts that Hyakuta published on his YouTube channel, in which he touched upon the decline in the birth rate in Japan, from causing a huge stir. That and an even bigger debate.

What exactly did he say? His words were also echoed by some of the most influential media outlets in Japan, such as the Kyodo News agency, The Mainichi, The Asashi or The Japan News. In his speech on YouTube, which focused mainly on how to increase the birth rate, Hyakuta mentioned and even hinted at possibilities such as a law preventing single women over the age of 25 from getting married, banning women from going to college after the age of 18, Kyodo wrote, based on a “hypothetical idea” that women ” He guarantees that “when they turn 30, their wombs will be removed.”

But… Are these offers? After the tremendous uproar that ensued, Hyakuta quickly clarified that his words had been taken out of context. Moreover, he assures that during the broadcast on YouTube he made it clear that these were the “science fiction” ideas of a novelist and that they were “not something that should happen.” She insisted that her aim was to “simply explain” women’s “time limitation” in giving birth. Yesterday Hyakuta acknowledged that his comments were, in any case, “extremely harsh”. “I want to take it back and apologize.”

In the statements quoted by the newspaper, Hyakuta said, “I meant that we cannot transform the social structure unless we do something that goes this far.” he said. asashi. During an event in Nagoya yesterday to support a candidate of his party, the novelist assumed that his statements were “rude and shocking” anyway. “Some people might think these are scary.”

Is it something new? This isn’t the first controversy Hyakuta has dealt with. Despite his party’s youth and modest institutional representation, the novelist has courted controversy in the past by denying the 1937 Nanjing massacre by Japanese troops in China or ignoring U.S. attacks on Japan during World War II. “Genocidal” war. But his latest debate created a real earthquake that forced other party leaders to intervene and sparked criticism from political rivals and citizens.

Sumie Kawakami, a professor at Yamanashi Gakuin University, lamented on This Week in Asia: “I can’t believe a Japanese politician could say something like this. I can only see these comments as a call for violence against women.” According to Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura, the conservative leader’s words were also “indescribably terrible.”

Image | Ifan Nuriyana (Unsplash)

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