Ishiba, in Gunma, says he cringes at women because of their strong image

"I sort of cringe at women because of their strong image,"

Words of a weak and insecure man.

Although highly gaffe-prone, Ishiba here touches on something deeper than regional stereotypes - strength within the family matters, and it’s always been essential to a healthy society. The nuclear family - father, mother, children - has been the bedrock of the successful civilizations for millennia, across cultures and continents.

The man SHOULD be the strong foundation, leading with strength, responsibility, courage, and moral clarity. But if for any reason he can't or is absent, then it falls to the woman to carry that weight - and in some places, like Gunma (I guess), they have. What’s of MOST importance is that the family unit stays intact. When it does, it produces stable homes, teaches values, and builds strong communities.

And despite what Uber "Progressives" (who believe they're suddenly right and every previous generation was wrong) think, what’s good for the FAMILY is good for the COUNTRY.

I think it’s his clumsy way of trying to make a joke. Nothing to see here for those of rational and sound mind.

I wonder what he said in Japanese.

He got the point, woman are essential in society since motherhood play critical role in child development and help the whole family intact. In the time father doesn't presence which normal in Japanese society, mother always be there.

This guy is such an odd duck.

This is a headline from Yahoo Japan. Use Google translate if needed.

石破首相「群馬は怖そう、女性は強そう、引いちゃうところある」　前橋視察で発言

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/1cd869f4b1d853e57c69f5fde8b195fbce60ba14

I wonder what he said in Japanese.

The way this article is written doesn't help the situation. The lead says he said women in Gunma are strong. Is that supposed to be offensive or controversial?

"I sort of cringe at women because of their strong image," 

Which women is he talking about? The local women or women in general? It seems this may have been an attempt at a joke.

his is a headline from Yahoo Japan. Use Google translate if needed.

石破首相「群馬は怖そう、女性は強そう、引いちゃうところある」　前橋視察で発言

Here's the translation:

Gunma seems scary, the women seem strong, and there are some parts that put me off.

We cringe at him who's a weak man the complains he doesn't get enough time to smoke.

Concentrate focus on the economy, depopulation, government provoked rice price gouging, the ongoing trade disputing with Donald Trump.

Spouse relationships Gunma Prefecture can survive without your quibbling.

Why Japanese men's are doomed with women

Preface: I am not a Japanese citizen and have no horse in this race, but…

People (In all countries) don’t like politicians who never say what they think and are always on script.

They also don’t like politicians who DO say what they are thinking and go off script.

Seems like a no-win situation.

We’re in the “I’m Offended Era”

Maybe Ishiba was trying to be funny. The opposition party leader shouldn’t make a fuss out of it.

He's actually right. The same goes for Nagano. Then you got up to the Nihonkai and you'll find similarly strong women there too. Pretty harsh winters up there so, yeah. I actually don't find it off-putting myself though. But different strokes for different folks.

However accurate, or not, the stereotype is, the LDP certainly do have a knack for picking leaders with a skill for putting their foot in it.

Ishiba, in Gunma, says he cringes at women because of their strong image

The sad thing is that this kind of stupid comment is now normalized due to the countless idiotic comments made by nearly every member of the LDP.

They might hurt the feelings of women in Gunma," he said.

Yes, I'm sure that the feelings of women in Tokyo and other places outside Gunma are fine and dandy.

There goes the Gunma vote..smart independent women scare most men.

Gunma is a scary place due to its strong women?

Sort of a strange comment…

The man SHOULD be the strong foundation, leading with strength, responsibility, courage, and moral clarity. But if for any reason he can't or is absent, then it falls to the woman to carry that weight -

That's very misogynist, and you have no idea how Japanese families work.

Ishiba, in Gunma, says he cringes at women because of their strong image

I’m sure they aren’t fans of yours either, ISH.

Do not blame him for the comment, blame Japanese culture and its people for having different sayings across prefecture about women, people, etc. Just as apparently women from Akita are the most beautiful because Akita bijin whatever, or Utsunomiya in Tochigi has very delicious gyoza and "cocktails".

Besides, people need to stop being sensitive, and b, the media tends to overblow things out of proportions.

That's very misogynist, and you have no idea how Japanese families work.

Oh, here we go - the shriek of “misogyny” when someone says something grounded in reality instead of feelings.

What’s next - forks are oppressive because they’re not chopsticks?

Sorry, not everything you disagree with is an -ism or a phobia.

Do not blame him for the comment, blame Japanese culture and its people for having different sayings across prefecture about women, people, etc.

His comment is being criticized not because he repeated the stereotype of women being strong, but because he felt appropriate to also express he cringes at them for this reason. He is supposedly representing the people of Japan and making a quite negative comment about women without justification definitely is something worth criticizing, if anything "sensitive" would apply much more easily to people that think politicians should not be criticized for making completely inadequate comments that promote negative ideas that should be abandoned, the same as pretending men "should" be the leaders on the family or women "should" be in the house taking care of the children or else the family is doomed.

Oh, here we go - the shriek of “misogyny” when someone says something grounded in reality instead of feelings.

Your comment reflected only your personal belief about something, not something grounded in reality, which expert on sociology supports your claim that men "should lead"? without a reference you can't claim this is a fact, you can only say this is a personal opinion not supported by the experts.

This article is cringe

A non-story. His joke was rubbish, and overly-precious people sensationalized it to make something out of nothing.

 not something grounded in reality, which expert on sociology supports your claim that men "should lead"? 

Not grounded in reality?! Haha! It IS historical reality. The nuclear family with male leadership as the cornerstone has been the dominant structure of human civilization for thousands of years - across continents, cultures, and religions - because it works. It’s what built stable societies, raised generations, and kept order long before your "every institution in the entire world" rhetoric decided everything needed to be flipped upside down for Uber "Progressive" ideological points.

The only people who would disagree are those few who you only listen to Far left-wing academics who started rewriting definitions in the last 30 years to suit political agendas.

If you don't have anything nice to say say nothing at all comes to mind.

What is wrong with these old fossils ?!

Perhaps not offensive but definitely a clumsy thing to say. Especially given his already weak position.

În all seriousness. If the government mandate us to retire at 65, why the actual government leaders and politicians do the same thing?? Is the law not for everyone??

If you have leaders younger than 65,ptobably you will no have so many stupid remarks from old dinosaurs with medieval mentality.

Gunma Prefecture is a place where "there seems to be many scary people."

I don't know about that. I visit quite often whenever I want to escape the city and the locals are some of the nicest people I've met. Some young folks and many non-Japanese are also very chill and kind. The older folks have great hospitality.

"I sort of cringe at women because of their strong image," he said. 

It's not strong women you should be scared of, it's the narcissist that want everything their way. The same goes for men.

The "cringe" in the headline seems to be an invention by Kyodo.

It seems to be a Japanese thing to marvel at miniscule differences in regional culture and traditions, many of which magically seem to coincide with prefectural borders. There is a (tiresome) show on tv where they will spend an hour saying our miso soup is not your miso soup, which the celebrity panel accompanies with very forced laughter. This gaffe from Ishiba is him rapping on the stereotypical view of Gunma, but is actually one that Gunma people might be proud of and may have actively promoted themselves. "We Gunma people aren't like other prefectures because our women are strong!" etc. etc.

An extension of this is Japanese people doing comparisons with gaikoku that compare Japan with the USA and not with quite similar Asian countries. "You have knives and forks but we have o-hashi" etc. The intention is to always look for differences and yes, uniqueness, and never to look for common ground.

To avoid potential minunderstandings, I do not support Ishiba and also find him socially awkward.

Once again the Left trying to denigrate or scandalize things that were common sense up to 15 years ago, which led us into this mess called "modern society"

When times are hard, women had to become strong to help their families survive. But this can quickly come at the cost of devaluing men who define themselves by their value as provider, not because these men are "insecure",but because they were taught to be altruistic ,selfless, and a constructive member of society. What this leads to is the "strong woman who dont need no man" stereotype, and not only the "bad boy" types not caring anymore, but even men who started with good intentions giving up on family etc. The pernicious consequences of this development can be seen in the US black community with the rampant breakdown of families, the rise of single motherhood etc, which is quickly spreading to all other communities (and no, this has nothing to do with your skin color, but with the prevailing mentality in society)

Not grounded in reality?!

No, just because you strongly believe something that does not make it a fact, this is easy to see the moment you could not find any expert supporting this claim you make, which means this gender difference is not something that "should" be enforced, just something you like to believe.

Osaka women ....dont get me started !

"A non-story. His joke was rubbish, and overly-precious people sensationalized it to make something out of nothing."

Exactly!!

Once again the Left trying to denigrate or scandalize things that were common sense up to 15 years ago

Common sense can be wrong, so that is why to see what actual arguments are there to support that instead of just expect things to continue in some way just because this is what has been believed before.

There is zero need to devaluate men for woman to be strong, that is an idea born from trying to impose artificial gender roles so if a man is not the one providing for his family and instead is in charge of house chores it is considered "devaluated". Woman not needing a man is as valid as Men not needing a woman, the same as people not needing a family, trying to impose a personal scale of values it what is not valid. For you to be able to claim something is negative you need to prove it with facts or at least a reference with an expert putting his name and career behind that claim.

Is that all the opposition has to offer?

This is pretty much what makes the headlines in Japan, he was probably making a joke and it came out wrongly, there really is nothing too deep about this because the average Joe in the Kansai region I’ve met would say the same thing, but not in the way to offend, more like in an “enviable” or “wishful thinking” kind of way. As a politician though, he really needs to be careful cause the best way to offend people these days is with issues related to gender or nationality, and Japan cannot afford to revert to the revolving door policy of prime ministers having to resign over gaffs and missteps.

This is why Japan is failing. No children, no marriages. The men are weak and think they're strong. The modern day Japanese guys are wearing makeup

Ishiba Shigeru should only open his mouth to change feet.

Whatever. He made a bad joke. Move on.

Just an out-of-touch guy saying what he really thinks. Really refreshing until you realise a) this guy is (at least nominally) the most powerful person in a major country and b) he sounds like people (especially men) you'd run into in daily life.

If you're running to his defence, it shows you don't have a problem with or are in favour of misogyny and stereotyping. He did say 引いちゃう, which is undeniably negative (and pathetic in this context, to be honest), but it is probably just an ignorant remark said in a joking fashion. However, it does speak to the expectations and hierarchies that often make many people miserable. Men and women.

The way this article is written doesn't help the situation. The lead says he said women in Gunma are strong. Is that supposed to be offensive or controversial? 

Have to agree. Only thing I cringe at is at the grievance industry trying to spin the narrative to their warped sense of reality and take cheap shots. Identity politics 101. Screaming at their own shadows.

Seems random and stupid, how was that joke suppose to even pan out. Just stay on script and let the results speak for itself, no one is expecting politicians to be comedians.

 there really is nothing too deep about this because the average Joe in the Kansai region I’ve met would say the same thing, but not in the way to offend, more like in an “enviable” or “wishful thinking” kind of way. 

Indeed, while a google search for 群馬 女 気が強い gets 14 million results, a google search for 大阪 女 気が強い gets a whopping 65 million results!

Maybe Ishiba could go round the country giving it "I hear you've got some real battleaxes round here!" wherever the job takes him. I'm sure some locals, both male and female, would agree.

The guy is just telling a bad joke.

I feel sorry for him if anything

Meanwhile, the husbands in Kyushu were said "Teishu Kanpaku ." (Husbands are dominant in Kyushu). Forget about old sayings which are no more valid. Ishiba's inadvertant comment shows he belongs to the past generation.