
ALT Who is TAMIYO? TAMIYO is a character created by the Japanese government for national security public relations. Videos featuring her and her husband, KUNIO, performing “Meoto Manzai”—a Japanese comedy style—have been released. Why is this being viewed as a problem? Currently, the Japanese government is stoking fears that “other countries will attack,” and its military spending—under the guise of national defense—has exceeded 9 trillion yen. This ranks as the 10th highest military budget in the world.

ALT Meanwhile, ordinary people are struggling to make ends meet, and the prices of daily necessities have skyrocketed. People living in cold regions are being driven to the brink by soaring kerosene prices, facing a choice between “freezing to death or starving to death.” Damage from various disasters is also severe; even months after a disaster strikes, many people remain unable to leave evacuation centers and are sleeping in cardboard boxes. In short, the government is choosing missiles to wage war against other countries even as its citizens are literally starving and freezing right now. Amid this situation, an announcement was made that government public relations expenses would total 35 billion yen, sparking a wave of criticism from citizens struggling to make ends meet.

ALT Amid this situation, an announcement was made that government public relations expenses would total 35 billion yen, sparking a wave of criticism from citizens struggling to make ends meet. To make matters worse, this “KUNIO & TAMIYO” manzai propaganda—announced as the final straw—has already cost 150 million yen in payments alone. (It has also come to light that the budget ceiling was originally set at 300 million yen.) The Trap of KUNIO = Husband = Nation, TAMIYO = Wife = People To make matters even worse, this manzai propaganda skit was about “KUNIO, the husband, ‘teaching’ his wife, TAMIYO, the importance of national security.” That’s classic mansplaining, isn’t it! Furthermore, in Japanese, “KUNI” means “nation” and “TAMI” means “people.” How on earth did they manage to layer such an absolutely terrible context on top of another?! LOL


































