Japanese opposition slams PM for giving rice paddle to Ukraine

TOKYO - Senior opposition party officials have criticized Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for giving a traditional Japanese rice paddle as a sign of victory for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his recent visit to the war-torn country.

The gift, bearing a prayer for victory, attracted a backlash from the opposition on March 24, with Kenta Izumi, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan CDP saying it exposed Kishida as lacking a sense of tension. It doesn't seem right to present such an item to the head of a state that is facing war with urgency at a time when diplomacy is highly charged, Izumi told a news conference the same day.

Nobuyuki Baba, head of Nippon Ishin Japan Innovation Party, told reporters: Simply put, it's nonsense. He Kishida is taking it too easy. I would get mad if I received it After the Japanese government revealed the gift on March 23, critical comments included, What kind of joke is this? At a House of Councillors Budget Committee session on March 24, Kishida stated that they wanted to show their respect to the Ukrainian people for their efforts to protect their homeland and freedom, and our country is willing to support Ukraine steadfastly. Kishida's remarks came in response to a question by CDP lawmaker Noriko Ishigaki, who asked: Isn't it grossly inappropriate to bring such an item to a war zone? Rice paddle is a popular product of Miyajima island in the city of Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, and is often used to pray for victory, as it can be used to scoop rice, or meshitoru in Japanese, to apprehend a criminal or other party.

During his press meeting, Izumi said: In post-World War II Japan, rice paddles have been used regularly to pray for victory in peacetime, like passing entrance exams, winning sports, or supporting candidates in elections. Izumi also mentioned the history of the rice paddle, which had been used as a good luck charm for Japanese soldiers deployed to the first Sino-Japanese War 1894 -- 1895 and the Russo-Japanese War 1904 -- 1905 If the prime minister gave the rice paddle precisely in the pre-WWII context of apprehending the enemy, did he mean to deliver messages such as ''Fight more and ''Win at any cost to Ukraine in line with pre- I find it uncomfortable, Izumi said.