A Japanese YouTuber-turned-MP will be the first Japanese lawmaker in the country’s history to get booted from parliament without having actually entered into the role.
The BBC reported that Yoshikazu Higashitani was expelled by his Senate colleagues on Tuesday for apparently not coming to work.
The report noted that Higashitani has not attended even one parliament session since taking office seven months ago. As a result, the parliament’s disciplinary committee revoked his status.
Higashitani is best known as GaaSyy on YouTube, where he has made a name for himself by creating celebrity gossip videos. Additionally, it appears that his Twitter account has been suspended.
The celebrity YouTuber, who has garnered the nickname “No-show MP” is reportedly believed to be living in the United Arab Emirates, according to the BBC.
Higashitani has made it known that he has not attended any parliament meetings because he is afraid of being arrested over fraud allegations, as well as defamation claims made by celebrities, according to the report.
He is a member of Seijika-joshi-48 opposition party, which is a single-issue party that has called for reforms to Japan’s public broadcaster.
His extended absence has embittered Senate members, who voted to expel him, despite his other party colleague, Hamada Satoshi, suggesting that it was illegal to expel Higashitani due to his absence.
The Japanese Senate moved forward with the expulsion process anyway.
