Hirano under fire for calling tsunami victims 'idiots'

I kinda like this guy for his blunt comments

the minister in charge of post-disaster reconstruction

seem's an unlucky post (ministry), find new title/word and meanwhile Hirano should resign voluntarily.

Well, at least he's apologizing for himSELF for a change. Before he had to apologize daily for comments or incidents from or involving Hatoyama.

His old classmate's surviving family must be thrilled with his remarks.

Well, there you have it folks. Straight from the horse's mouth. I noticed he didn't refer to TEPCO as idiots. No, he decided he would punk some down on their luck survivors. Big man.

He should be fired from this position. This is a time when the victims need compassion. The don't need some suit from Tokyo coming down to belittle them.

No matter what, it's clear to see Tokyo's position and who they are siding with. It's all about Deep Pockets and the boys in radiation suits.

What does Ozawa think about this. He must love it.

This minister's post has an awfully important function: it gives us the impression that six months in office for a (prime) minister is a rather long time.

IDIOT

WTF?! what a moron! he's the idiot.

Well, I will wait to hear HOW he said it before condemning him. Just the words don't give enough. I would not have guessed from Matsumoto Ryo's words alone just how truely dispicable his comments were. The tone and posture carried most of his contempt. I can imagine Hirano's words being said in a sad and grieving way - speaking of a lost friend with an affectionate "baka". I won't be surprised, though, if I later find he is just as mindless as so many career politicians.

Poor translation - "baka" also is used in an affectionate way, particularly by men, to refer to friends. I have heard people (again, mainly men) use this term to refer to friends or family members who got sick or died before them. Even most of the Japanese media is backing off after reading the comments in context.

Hirano is from the earthquake/tsunami area and has worked ceaselessly since the disaster. He has a good reputation with many people in the area and is known for being very careful with his comments. Maybe the hard work and lack of opportunity to express deep feelings got the better of him.

Should he be replaced by someone who doesn't know the job well and lots of work and effort have to be reduplicated because of this remark? I for one don't think so...

I agree with stayinginplace. BAKA is used in an affectionate way sometimes. For example, if a father lost his son with car accident or whatever, the father would say "Ore yori sakini shiniyagatte, aitsu wa hontoni BAKA da!!!" Very close friends would also say something like this. What Hirano said could be acceptable among his friends and his friends families that lost their family, but the problem is he is a politician and he has to be careful what he says in public.

Well to be honest, he's right in in many cases. Many people did not listen or follow the evacuation orders and died as a result. All? Certainly not but more than enough. Calling them stupid is harsh but at the same thing, a little more thinking on the part of individuals wouldn't hurt. Reckless points this out well with examples of how people here react to typhoons - stay at work, wait until it is too late to leave as they won't tell the boss where to go.... Heck, look at all the people "demanding" to be allowed to go back to their homes in the Fukushima area even though the areas aren't safe.

Scratch another loser off the list!

This idiot should resign immediately. He is not fit for Office, much less for the Reconstruction post. His remarks about the tsunami victims are unforgivable, "proper translation" or not.

I agree that the minister needs to learn to be more sensitive. But I think I know what he felt losing a friend in the tsunami and wondering what if, "Why did the idiot not get out sooner...?" I said the same thing a decade ago losing a friend in a fire we tried to put out on his farm. We are humans even if we are ministers we are still humans and such losses can be weigh a lot on once mind.

fire him!!! what an idiot!! I hope his friends family will sue him!! what is japan coming to ...

Many tsunami victims were killed by government incompetence. People who did what the bloody government manuals and rehearsals called for ended up dead because the designated evacuation sites were not nearly high enough. The baka are the ones in charge of this country, the parliament and bureaucracy.

The Japanese バカ - which I assume is the word he used - has a variety of meanings, one of which would be closer to "foolhearty." Since he was discussing this in the context of the death of a friend, he probably was lamenting the foolhardiness of those who chose not to save themselves.

Whatever - time doesn't allow for petty tit-for-tatism. Let it go and let him get on with his job.

Poor translation - "baka" also is used in an affectionate way, particularly by men, to refer to friends. I have heard people (again, mainly men) use this term to refer to friends or family members who got sick or died before them.

Yes, this is correct.

The area around Sendai is very flat unfortunately so it would have been impossible anyway to evacuate on higher ground since there is none.

Good thing Japan has such a great education system. Otherwise it would produce idiots capable of making stupid comments all the time.

Doesn't he understand that they were in fact extremely clever for farting around after the quake?

Please! Take PC out back and shoot it in the head! I am so sick to death of everyone's little sensitivities! Truth is truth. Suck it up princess!

Every one of adult one of them of sound mind are idiots in the first place for living on the east shore of Japan of all places! Ever saw a ukiyoe print of tsunami?? Yeah, that stuff is for reals fool! You live on the shore of this country and you have a quake, you are not even terribly bright for waiting around for an announcement to evacuate. But if you get it and you putter around, then you are old and infirm, crippled mentally or physically, an elementary school student or younger, or an IDIOT. And most were idiots! And death has not upped their IQs!

But we all know the politician is being misquoted and mistranslated, unless of course you are also an idiot!

marcelito@ Here we go again

My sentiments exactly.

Where do they get these people? How does someone like this ever hold a position of power? Sad.

@staying in place, I agree with you. I remember seeing a video while the tsunami was underway, and a dog was desperately running for its life yet it was engulf finally with the waves. I felt a sense of sadness and helplessness and I could almost say baka koto na yet inside me I was not really swearing at the dog. I never know anybody personally though I worked somewhere in Fukushima yrs ago but I feel despair for them.

what an insensitive idiot he is

what to expect from politicians who were elected with from illegal foreign money and strong link with gambling.He should resign,after saying something so stupid.

Not alot of smart people in positions of power, very often they should think before the words fall out of their mouth's, but the trouble is the thinking part doesnt function very well. Idiots well there are many

Prime Minister Yoshida said バカヤロー(baka yaro) during a budget committee of the Lower House as recently as 1953. He was being questioned by a member of the opposition Socialist Party. He did retract the statement immediately though. As for Hirano he has no malicious intent. For him to think of his old classmate as バカ　(baka) is not wrong, but to say that in public is not right.

I suppose the people who got to the evacuation areas but were still swept away could not be called idiots. It was the idiots in charge who got them killed.

Hirano was right, whats wrong did he made?

The Noda government is 'extremely' fragile, he is a 'prolonged outgoing' PM from the first day in PM office, his cabinet cannot substain any 'blows'!

Hirano should either resign or be sacked. Not fit for this position. Some of the leaders in this country need to take lessons in speaking with diplomacy - sure, they have probably been brought up to be very direct - but in this situation what he said is unforgivable. Noda should follow him out the door very soon if he doesn't improve his own act - he has personally chosen a bunch of buffoons posing as ministers. Noda will be gone by spring.

Taj and others are right. This just may be a problem with the word "idiot/baka" in print with no reporting on the emotional coloring. Reporters should have done a better job.

Poor translation, baka can translate as foolish as well.