"South Korean President to Be Killed or Arrested After Leaving Office"…Who Is 'Malapropism Machine' Aso Taro?

Aso, Politician from Prestigious Japanese Family with Political and Business Ties
"Name Change to Japanese Style Was Desired by Joseon People," Among Other Gaffes

Tar? As?, the Vice President of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, who has been repeatedly called a "blunder machine" for his series of gaffes in public, has once again sparked controversy with his remarks.

According to Japan's Mainichi Shimbun on the 13th, Vice President As? told Japanese lawmakers the previous day that "most former South Korean presidents are either killed or arrested after completing their five-year terms," highlighting the difficulties in Korea-Japan exchanges.

Vice President As? attended a Korea-Japan Cooperation Committee parliamentary meeting, formed by Japanese political and business circles, and shared that during his two visits to South Korea last year and this year, when he met President Yoon Suk-yeol, he requested that the change of government in South Korea not destabilize Korea-Japan relations.

Taro Aso, Deputy President of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Vice President As? is a 14-term lawmaker who served as Japan's Prime Minister in 2008. He comes from a prestigious family spanning politics and business, with direct lineage running the Kyushu-based conglomerate, the As? Group. As? is considered an "ultra-right-wing" politician even within Japan and has advocated for revising the so-called Peace Constitution, which renounces war.

He has frequently caused problems both in Japan and abroad due to his controversial remarks. In 2013, while discussing Japan's constitutional revision, he made a gaffe suggesting learning from the methods of the Nazi regime in Germany. When the backlash grew, As? eventually retracted his statement, saying, "I deeply regret that my words caused misunderstandings contrary to my true intentions."

However, As?'s controversial remarks continued. In 2018, while serving as Deputy Prime Minister, he defended a high-ranking official involved in sexual misconduct by saying "sexual harassment is not a crime," and regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he remarked, "Bullied kids are weak kids. Strong kids don't get bullied."

As?'s offensive remarks toward South Korea are not new either. In May 2003, he stated that "the forced name changes (Ch?sen-sei Mei) were something Koreans wanted," and in 2007, regarding the "Japanese military comfort women," he expressed regret that the issue was "not based on objective facts," drawing criticism.

Meanwhile, Vice President As? serves as the chairman of the Korea-Japan Cooperation Committee, a senior leadership group in Japan that partners with the Korea-Japan Cooperation Committee. He visited South Korea in November last year to discuss solutions to the forced labor compensation issue from the Japanese colonial era with President Yoon, and also met with President Yoon during his visit to Japan in March this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.