The 'Fucking Idiot' Statement

[dorchadas]

That is the real name of a real incident in the Japanese Diet, though it's also often rendered as the "You Idiot Statement."

I get weird notifications from Coffee Meets Bagel, and today I got one about something called バカヤローの日 (baka yarō no hi, "fucking idiot day"). I thought it was a dumb joke, but it turns out it's real, or at least as real as neko no hi is. It's based on an exchange between Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru of the Liberal Democratic Party and Nishimura Eiichi of the Social Democratic Party of Japan in 1953, where the prime minister was asked a question and responded by calling Nishimura a fucking idiot.

drydem asked exactly what the question was, and I looked up further context. It turns out that there's a page on Japanese Wikipedia about it, whose name translates to "The 'Fucking Idiot' Parliamentary Dissolution." Isn't politics great?

Here's the exchange, in the original and translation.

First, the Japanese:

西村「総理大臣が過日の施政演説で述べられました国際情勢は楽観すべきであるという根拠は一体どこにお求めになりましたか」
吉田「私は国際情勢は楽観すべしと述べたのではなくして、戦争の危険が遠ざかりつつあるということをイギリスの総理大臣、あるいはアイゼンハウアー大統領自身も言われたと思いますが、英米の首脳者が言われておるから、私もそう信じたのであります。（以下略）」
西村「私は日本国総理大臣に国際情勢の見通しを承っておる。イギリス総理大臣の翻訳を承っておるのではない。（中略）イギリスの総理大臣の楽観論あるいは外国の総理大臣の楽観論ではなしに、（中略）日本の総理大臣に日本国民は問わんとしておるのであります。（中略）やはり日本の総理大臣としての国際情勢の見通しとその対策をお述べになることが当然ではないか、こう思うのであります」
吉田「只今の私の答弁は、日本の総理大臣として御答弁致したのであります。私は確信するのであります」
西村「総理大臣は興奮しない方がよろしい。別に興奮する必要はないじゃないか。
吉田（無礼なことを言うな!）
西村　何が無礼だ!
吉田（無礼じゃないか!）
西村　質問しているのに何が無礼だ。君の言うことが無礼だ。（中略）翻訳した言葉を述べずに、日本の総理大臣として答弁しなさいということが何が無礼だ! 答弁できないのか、君は……
吉田（ばかやろう……）
西村　何がバカヤローだ! バカヤローとは何事だ!! これを取り消さない限りは、私はお聞きしない。（中略）取り消しなさい。私はきょうは静かに言説を聞いている。何を私の言うことに興奮する必要がある」
吉田「……私の言葉は不穏当でありましたから、はっきり取り消します」
西村「年七十過ぎて、一国の総理大臣たるものが取り消された上からは、私は追究しません。（以下略）」

And the English, as near as I can make it:

Nishimura: "I would like to know what reason the prime minister had for being optimistic about the international situation in his recent speech."
Prime Minister Yoshida: "It is not that I said I was optimistic about the international situation, but that the English Prime Minister and President Eisenhower both stated that the threat of war was receding, and since the heads of both Britain and America believed that, I also think the same."
Nishimura: "I would like to know the views of the Prime Minister of Japan, not a translation of the views of the English Prime Minister. It is the Prime Minister of Japan that the citizens of Japan wish to ask, not of the optimism of the English Prime Minister or a foreign head of state. Of course, as the Prime Minister of Japan, surely you can simply state your view of the situation?"
Prime Minister Yoshida: "The response I have given just now is my response as the Prime Minister of Japan. It is my true belief."
Nishimura: "Please, prime minster, don't get angry. Surely there's no need to be so agitated."
Prime Minister Yoshida: "Don't speak to me so rudely!"
Nishimura: "How was I rude?"
Prime Minister Yoshida: "Weren't you rude?"
Nishimura: "It was a question, how was it rude? What you said was not rude. How is, 'Without translating, please tell me your opinion as the Prime Minister of Japan" rude? If you can't answer me, then you..."
Prime Minister Yoshida: "You fucking idiot..."
Nishimura: "Fucking idiot? Who's the idiot?! Until you take that back, we're done here. [pause] Please withdraw that. Of course I am listening to your remarks today. There's no need to get so angry at what I said."
Prime Minister Yoshida: "...as my remarks were inappropriate, certainly I withdraw them."
Nishimura: "Over 70 years[?], as the remarks of the prime minister were withdrawn, no further questions."

I'm not entirely sure what the first part of the last line means, but I'm confident about the rest. I assume it's referring to Yoshida's age, since he was 75 in 1953, but maybe not.


The dissolution came two weeks later on March 14th after the Social Democratic Party of Japan introduced a censure motion and most of the Liberal Democratic Party didn't show up to the vote.

Sometimes, politics is fun!

Edit: On reflection, "fucking idiot" might be too strong, but "you idiot" is too weak. Japanese isn't as good for swearing as English is--there's a blog I read that has a whole blog post [link in Japanese] about how she doesn't really understand the visceral impact of the way English-speakers use "fucking" as an insult--but maybe something like "dumbass"? Translation is hard.

Comments

[omnipotent]

You know, Yoshida may not have been able to have an opinion of his own (he was super pro-Western if memory serves me correctly), but I feel like he left a lingering presence on Japanese politics and economy.

[dorchadas]

I don't know that much about post-war Japanese politics (unless it happened since 2008), but I have the same impression. I know the History of Japan podcast had an episode all about Yoshida and his political protégées, which lasted into the 70s.