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He wants you to like him, and he wants to like you, and he wants to engage, but he has a little bit of an angry streak and it can be a liability.

8 Comments

Corey Wallace, a foreign policy specialist at Kanagawa University, referring to Taro Kono, a leading contender to be Japan's next prime minister.

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8 Comments
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I thought this was a description of a male stalker.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

A BIT of an angry streak? The guy's face turns redder than an overripe tomato at the slightest hint of criticism and storms away from the mic. When questioned on why he said Japan was leading the world in vaccinations when so far behind, he just kept repeating Japan was leading and tried to change questions, then abruptly left soon after. The guy is a fool, and if we thought we saw "I don't want to answer that question" a lot with Suga in the DIET, angry Taro will put that to shame.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Let's go with the younger woman.

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

Let's go with the younger woman.

I don't think a woman should be Prime Minister right now.

Not because I think they are less qualified or can't handle the job, but because gender politics are tearing apart the vital relationship between men and women in society right now.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

The guy's face turns redder than an overripe tomato

Lol, almost spat out my tea reading that one... unfortunately Taro suffers from severe atopic dermatitis (known as アトピー in Japanese) so it's not like he can help it

0 ( +2 / -2 )

but he has a little bit of an angry streak

Just a little?! But this man can't take any criticism, however justified. And especially not from people who are not in politics. Because in politics he can only have a red face, but that's all. Because he knows that anything outside would be the end of his political career - he would be overlooked.

He can't even tolerate a contrary opinion to his own. Both criticism and contrary opinion or disagreement equals a ruddy face and over-talking or almost stuttering or outright blocking on Twitter.

I don't understand to this day how he could be Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense. Especially in international politics, it is hard to avoid a contrary opinion or disagreement. In domestic politics you can somehow settle or ignore it, but not in foreign policy. It's just, that's why I believe he'll get elected and be our next PM. Few of these dinosaurs understand the need to face things head on. They keep expecting various opinions or statements to be softened and sanded down for them so it doesn't look so rough.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I don't want "nice" politicians. I want people in charge willing to be ruthless against the enemies of civilized countries. But its hard for most women and about a third of 'men' to stomach.

Its why the majority of western countries currently employ weak and incompetent dilettantes.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Japan is surrounded by Vladimir Putin. XI Jinping and Kim Jong Un. Nice people get run over by this leaders.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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