Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda poses for a photo with U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen Taylor Barfield, left, from Maryland and Japan's Cherry Blossom Queen Etsuko Tamagawa during their courtesy call at his official residence in Tokyo on Wednesday.
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26 Comments
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Ben Jack
Looks like he left his happy face at home.
Alien2Japan
PM looks like is was forced to stand for this picture..
nath
He need to iron those pants
kansaifun
So that's what the leader of Japan looks like....
Maybe having AKB48 run the government isn't such a ludicrous idea, after all...
ebisen
BEN - that is his happy face.. Like Droopy...
gogogo
Not happy
hatsoff
Noda could have at least stuck a flower in his hair. Just to keep in the spirit of things, like...
nath
Deary me. What a confident, inspiring, fresh-faced leader he is!
Aliasis
Two pretty ladies, but the old guy ruins the picture.
Green Panda
PM Noda needs a new tailor ASAP. Please button the lower button on that jacket too.
whiskeysour
he needs to practice his smile in front of a mirror, or hire a smiling coach. Ohhhh look his belly popped open a button. He looks like the pillsbury doughboy without the smile.
Fadamor
Well yeah, but in that same document is the following:
I'm just saying that this might not be the "exceptional poise and appearance" they had in mind.
oberst
Noda san looks like he just got the pink slip
Alien2Japan
is --> he
KariHaruka
Christ cheer up Noda!
JeffLee
He's exasperated that the LDP, a party that lost the election, is blocking passage of bills his party was elected to pass.
Democracy in action!
Serrano
The two ladies look lovely.
anglootaku
I'm bored of PR crap, get me outta here! lol
Ivan Coughanoffalot
All right, I'm going to ask. Why, in the name of all that's holy, are we crowning the Cherry Blossom Queen nearly two months after cherry blossom season?
nath
Just to be clear - the U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen is chosen at random from a group of women who have chosen to be "Princesses" for a week.
"The U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen is chosen by a random spin of a wheel of fortune by the Japan Ambassador in Washington, D.C. The following morning, the newly crowned U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen and her Japan counterpart, along with the State, Territory, and International Princesses are invited to participate in the National Cherry Blossom Parade® and the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival."
source: http://www.statesocieties.org/PrincessProgram.aspx
Fadamor
...and to answer Ivan Coughalot's question, (from the same document CrysTra Taylor references):
gaijinfo
Noda looks very hung over.
nath
Thanks for the comments! I'm sure he's tired from all of the things going on politically. We had a few laughs and he went back to work!
Our crowns are a replica of the larger crowns that we're actually crowned with. The US Queen receives a Mikimoto Pearl necklace and crown; both having cherry blossoms on them. The Japanese Queen receives the same crown. There are 2 Japanese Queens, but only one US.
GenConsensus
What's up with those crowns?!
Looks like a thimble balanced on a grapefruit.
Dell_1957
Boy....looking at this photo I remember people here posting Mrs. Clinton's outfit she wore for a photo a few weeks ago was terrible fashion. Take a good look at your prime minister and his suit, looks like he took it out of luggage and didn't even bother to press it...and who advised him on wearing that god awful tie and shoes that are not even polished. His expression is telling the photographer....hurry up...I want out of here!
DenTok2009
What's up with the crowns? I can believe the Japanese beauty queen association (ha, ha) came up with the small crown but I can't believe the U.S. one also decided upon a similar or rather the exact same design. Were the sponsors the same or did they consult each other? I think the U.S. one should have a big crown sort of a cherry blossom motif and all. Queen Taylor Barfield is wearing a nice white dress and pearls but I don't see any nod towards the cherry blossom.