27 -Year -Old Japanese Politician Receives Thousands Of Death Threats Over Post On X
BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
27-year-old Japanese Mie Prefectural Assembly member, Ayaka Yoshida, posted a message on her X account. “I was caught off guard by my period and was in trouble, as there were no sanitary napkins in the restroom at Tsu City Hall,” wrote the politician. “I couldn’t deal with it properly until I got home. This kind of thing happens even at the age of 27.” She then added, “I hope menstrual pads can be provided everywhere, like toilet paper.”
While Yoshida’s situation was discussed online, with many echoing her views and others suggesting that she should have had a sanitary pad with her, it certainly didn’t seem like a controversial tweet. One person, however, seemingly took great offense to it. Between 8 p.m. on Friday, March 28, and 3:50 p.m. on Monday, March 31, the Japanese Communist Party member received around 8,000 emails all from the same address. They arrived at intervals of around one minute.
In an X message on Monday, Yoshida revealed the content of the messages. In the subject line, the sender wrote, “I will kill assembly member Ayaka Yoshida, who doesn’t bring emergency napkins with her while being old enough to know better!” “As part of the text, the person added, “If we kill her before even one yen of tax money is spent on this idiot, the problem will be solved.” Yoshida remarked, “This cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. I demand strict disciplinary action. A report of the crime was accepted by Tsu Police Station today.”
“This is how women have been silenced. But just as my predecessors have done, I will not be silent. As a member of parliament, I will continue to raise my voice to alleviate the suffering of the people.” That same day, she held a press conference in Mie Prefecture. “I’m very scared,” she said. “I’ve been engaging in my duties to fulfill my responsibility as a prefectural assembly member, and these emails intimidate me. I hope the police will conduct a thorough investigation.”
Chisato Kitanaka, an associate professor of sociology at Hiroshima University and an adviser in the university’s harassment consultation office, has told This Week in Asia that abusive messages targeting women who speak out are becoming more common in Japan.
She said: “We are seeing similar things happening time and time again.
Ms Kitanaka added that topics that have sparked a backlash online include support for working mothers, women’s health, shortages of places at nurseries, sexual violence in Japanese society and domestic violence.
