The heat was turned on recently on a Japanese legislator who stated that the US president, Barack Obama had the ‘’blood of … slaves’’ cursing through his veins. This came after an upheaval  resulted from Kazuya Maruyama, a minister of the Japanese ruling party headed by Shinzo Abe. Maruyama was addressing the vibrant nature of US culture, though this sentiment was unrequited.

The controversial statement put forward by Maruyama was,  “Now in the United States, a black man serves as president,” speaking to lawmakers on Wednesday, Maruyama added that Obama “carries the blood of black people.“ He concluded,  “This means slaves, to put it bluntly.” This was then followed by the lawmaker’s sentiment that the idea of a black president would have been inconceivable in the pioneering years of the country. He marvelled at the potential for change that the US has had, saying, “It is a nation that transforms itself in dynamic ways,”

What makes these remarks peculiar is the fact that Obama is not of slave origin but rather a product of a Caucasian Kansas woman and a black Kenyan who had been studying in the US at the time. In light of this, Maruyama requested that his remarks be excluded from the record.

In his defence, the legislator disputed that he was trying to highlight the need for Japan to emulate the all – encompassing culture exhibited by the American system. However the ill – mannered way in which he put across this message was not received kindly. Some even called for Maruyama’s resignation in light of the fallout.

It did not help the case of Abe whose cabinet has seen a number of disgraceful acts in recent months. Chief among these was Akira Amari, the chief negotiator presiding over the Trans – Pacific Partnership trade deal. In addition to this, Kensuke Miyazaki, a leading legislator also left his position after engaging in extra – marital affairs.