politics

Politician proposes giving newlyweds pierced condoms

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why are local assemblymen so stupid?

24 ( +25 / -1 )

this was just folksy humor, I don't see what the big deal is. Completely different from the sexist ridicule that other woman had to endure.

5 ( +14 / -9 )

Will Osada take responsibility for unwanted children, for children born to families who can't afford them, or for healthcare for people who contract STDs?

12 ( +15 / -3 )

Just being funny, did anyone take it seriously?

4 ( +10 / -6 )

jumpultimatestarsJUL. 19, 2014 - 06:52AM JST this was just folksy humor, I don't see what the big deal is.

Yes- context and tone of voice would make this a different story.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Hope 'Okamoto' share prices have not dropped ,better re-check your condom before and after use.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Speechless. O_O

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Once again, we are subjected to Japanese politician foot and mouth disease! This completely defies amazement.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

"“I suggested the idea because I thought it would make people feel this city hall was a nice and friendly place,”

Sure! What place that wants to puncture condoms so that couples who aren't ready to have a baby are forced to do so ISN'T a friendly, loving place to be. And of course the government would be there to stand by them and assist them during pregnancy and child-rearing, right?

Seems a day doesn't go by without an assembly person or two shoving his/her foot in his/her mouth. Evidently the only qualification needed to get the position is to be a moron.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

I found the following quote revealing

adding that the remarks would be deleted from the record of the June 18 meeting.

Reminds me of certain aspects of Japanese history.

14 ( +16 / -2 )

Japanese politicians, especially men, are stupid. There is no getting around it. Plain stupid.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Japanese Politicians,, non stop comedy

2 ( +3 / -1 )

So.. what is the picture of this article? A condom factory?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Politicians seem to think that the problem will be solved by having more babies. They seem to misunderstand Japan's situation. How can they? How is it possible that they're that clueless? Perhaps it's a bit of stupidity. But maybe it helps that none of these old men will be around to suffer the ill effects of the population problem or that none of them can imagine being financially vulnerable. At least Abe, by suggesting that more women and old people will need to work, has some clue about the situation.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Naw, ultimately they do need a few more babies. It is a problem of the labor pool's size relative to those who need to be supported. Even having more woman work only buys time.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The problem is not the condoms... the problem is that young Japanese are not having sex at all.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Problem is politicians with nothing better to say. Better to have said nothing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The perspective in the photo is interesting!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The thing that gets me about comments like this (and the sexist heckling of Shiomura in the earlier incident) is that it indicates a complete lack of willingness on the part of these politicians to seriously debate policy in this area.

To be honest, the comments in this case arent really that offensive per se (unlike the Shiomura case in which they clearly were) but they come off as this guy sayingIm not going to even bother trying to come up with ideas for this issue and instead Ill just insult the intelligence of everyone in the city by proposing something completely idiotic.`

I note that this is a generous interpretation of his comment. The other interpretation is that he actually meant what to be taken seriously (the article doesnt actually say he was kidding when he made them), in which case Ill let you draw your own conclusions as to his character.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I'll hold my peace on the photo...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Ah, to be a Japanese public servant must be a wonderful thing. You obviously don't need any brains. You just have to show up every day. What an idiot! They should make voting compulsory in Japan to stop the right winged idiots running this country - into the ground!

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Wow, nice one.

(Actually J condoms break pretty easily, though.)

The thing is, they don't resign or get voted out. It is just nuts they can be this stupid.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I'm beginning to thing that there's an IQ cap on people running for public office.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

... this was a joke, right?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Which is more unbelievable: his comments or married couples still using condoms?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

"...he also reportedly suggested handing out locally grown Japanese yams—said to boost sexual stamina.

Put those condoms on your yam.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

suggesting that deliberately punctured condoms be distributed

Handing out condoms that you KNOW to be defective effectively tricks the newlyweds into having children before they're financially and psychologically prepared for them. It will cause tremendous suffering and hardship, not to mention violating the woman's right to choose if and when she chooses to have children.

Women are NOT brood mares to be put out to stud when the government (local or national) chooses to do so.

This politician shouldn't be apologising, he should be fired without any delay.

Osada, talking to Japanese broadcaster NTV. “I had no intention to criticize or disrespect people who cannot have a baby.”

Way to miss the point Osada. You're not criticizing those who cannot have babies, you're proposing the mass-impregnation of women who have no desire to have a child.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

This is exactlly why we are often called "the weird country" lol

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Japanese like any of the human race are not against procreation. They just have too much machines, robots and toys as a way of sufficing their physical and maybe emotional needs. They are not against sex, actually, they are active. It's not about their sexual dysfunction but the responsibility after all. Change of mindset. Man and wife get married with a greater purpose. Different from going in and meeting someone at a strip club. So giving these newlyweds punctured condoms is not funny at all. Nonsense! Think of a better way to help your country's birthrate. Probably, the mindset of having babies.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"he also reportedly suggested handing out locally grown Japanese yams—said to boost sexual stamina."

Specifically Aichi-grown yams?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Pathetic that they think sex is for newly breds. Sex is anytime in life because it is life. Poor Japan

0 ( +1 / -1 )

From my time working as a wedding celebrant in Japan, I found that about half of the time the couples were actually at the alter due to a pierced condom, or some other surprise, but that is fine. Anyhow, I don't get the yam thing, but maybe it is worth a try. If it was me though, I would recommend giving all Japanese women a set of minnie mouse ears, or some other childish dress up rubbish. Most Japanese dudes find that sort of thing arousing, so perhaps a baby boom would soon follow.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

To think that of all things to pick a local assembly man hit upon the idea of giving out punctured condoms and sexual pick-me-ups as a way to get over the ever-lower birth rates to put a put a period to the long-standing phenomenon of fewer births and the aging of the population! At a first glance I got it into my head that he said these things for a joke but the fact that he gave voice to his notion at a plenary session of the city assembly brought home to me that when he made mention of the condoms and aphrodiascs, he was going beyond a joke. Whether he played the honnne-tatemae game the wrong way, I would not want him to wriggle his way out of the hot spot he ended up landing in b y saying he made a slip of the tongue, which has given us an insight into the working of his mind. Given the kind of the profession he is engaged in, he is in a position to work out a solution to this "fewer births and the aging of the population" phenomenon from the ground up, digging into what makes young people reluctnt to marry and start a family. I must say he is not made up of the right stuff, not possessing what it takes to live up to what is expectedof him by the voters. He sbhould step down.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Another insensitive off color joke by a Japanese politician. No Frungy he shouldn't be fired...he should have to answer to his public if that is how he was put in office. It was stupid yes....defines his whole character? We don't know. Does it suggest mass rape? That sounds like the deep end at the other end of the pool. Besides....did you actually take seriously that this would be done on a mass scale? I have heard of "poke the hole in the condom" situations. Actually happened to a friend of mine. They use a needle like a sewing kit. The odds of a pregnancy that way are so tiny...mass rape..really?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

virgoJul. 19, 2014 - 03:30PM JST Another insensitive off color joke by a Japanese politician. No Frungy he shouldn't be fired...he should have to answer to his public if that is how he was put in office. It was stupid yes....defines his whole character? We don't know. Does it suggest mass rape? That sounds like the deep end at the other end of the pool. Besides....did you actually take seriously that this would be done on a mass scale? I have heard of "poke the hole in the condom" situations. Actually happened to a friend of mine. They use a needle like a sewing kit. The odds of a pregnancy that way are so tiny...mass rape..really?

Yes, mass rape.

If guy does this deliberately and then deceives you into thinking you're having safe sex when you're not that qualifies as rape, regardless of whether pregnancy occurs.

If a politician advocates this approach for a whole town then it is mass rape, because he's doing it to a lot of people.

And that sort of person shouldn't be occupying public office. If they can fire female teachers for having made a consensual private movie with their boyfriend decades ago then they should be able to fire politicians for making this sort of comment publically.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Oh for God's sake, get a sense of humour!

This was obviously a joke. Have you got nothing more serious to worry about?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I think I'll mail a roll of duct tape to the LDP office in Tokyo.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

My first-year university students who do presentations on the topic of Japan's low birth rate / aging society know so much more about this issue than politicians that it's scary. Affordable child-care, improved maternity leave, gender equality in the workplace, immigration law reform, etc. etc. It seems that these relics in government either have no idea what's at the core of this issue or their chauvinistic attitude is holding them back. Probably both.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Bill AdamsJul. 19, 2014 - 06:28PM JST Oh for God's sake, get a sense of humour!

On this issue? About as funny as black joke in Harlem, and about as tasteful.

This was obviously a joke. Have you got nothing more serious to worry about?

Even if it was a joke it is not a laughing matter. It speaks to an underlying attitude in Japan that still treats women like walking incubators and nothing else, without human rights and without the right to determine if they want to get pregnant or not.

The only way for Japanese politicians to get the message that this isn't a joking matter is to communicate that message loudly and clearly.

No wonder women don't want to have children in Japan... they might have a girl, and they know what their future would be like.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

“I had no intention to criticize or disrespect people who cannot have a baby."

No, but he clearly had every intention of criticizing people who make a conscious choice to not have children. As if he has any right to in the complete absence of genuine debate over public policies -- or lack thereof -- that cause people to eschew having children.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

imagine after this punctured condom plan : husband vs wife: Are you pregnant? this is not my child i am using condom for the last ten years.The poor wife is speechless

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I don't even mind this comment that much, if they would just enact legislation to reduce the huge burden of those who have children in Japan... alas few do (especially of the male politicians).

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I have just looked at the picture of the condom factory, well I must give it to you Japanese men! the condoms are 5 foot long just look at the picture!! I will say no more! I feel sorry for the Japanese woman if there partners are THAT big.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I wonder if this "joke" sounded better in the context of whatever conversation was going on...maybe not.

If Japan's government wants the birthrate to go up, they have to make it worthwhile to have kids. Poking holes in condoms won't change the factors of too long working hours, all-consuming housing loans, and rampant materialism that makes people think they need to be able to afford to send Tarou to a private school while still letting Mom have her Luis Vuitton bags. let people have more time at HOME instead of work. It will take a cultural shift toward valuing time with family over the ability to buy things.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

There was evidently quite a bit of condomnation. yes im certainly on condoming his behavour!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Another case of foot in mouth disease! Get him a blindfold and last cigarette! Pff!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What's made of rubber and slides down the window? - Condomsation.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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