CNN
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A YouTube star who grew to become a Japanese lawmaker has been stripped of his position after he failed to point out up for a single day of labor in parliament.
At a plenary session on Wednesday, Japan’s parliament expelled Yoshikazu Higashitani for his continued absence, the primary time it has taken such a step in additional than seven many years.
Yoshikazu is healthier identified by his on-line alias GaaSyy below which he ran a YouTube channel speaking about celeb gossip.
He was elected to the Higher Home of Japan’s parliament in July 2022.
However he failed to reply to a ‘a call for participation’ from the Speaker of the Higher Home, was absent from the March 8 plenary session and didn’t attend a single parliamentary session since his election.
Japanese parliamentary legislation stipulates that members of parliament should come to the Home on the day it’s convened.
On the time of the March 8 plenary session, GaaSyy was overseas, in line with native media.
In a video, GaaSyy stated he was going to Turkey to assist in areas affected by the latest devastating earthquake, CNN affiliate TV Asahi reported on March 6.
GaaSyy was beforehand requested to apologize for his absence however didn’t.
On Tuesday, the disciplinary committee of the Higher Home unanimously determined to expel him as a member of parliament, essentially the most extreme doable punishment.
His expulsion is the primary in 72 years and solely the third ever below the present Japanese structure.
GaaSyy joins a member of Japan’s higher chamber who was expelled in 1950 and a member of the decrease home from 1951.
Japanese media has reported that GaaSyy refused to attend parliament as a result of he feared being arrested if he returned to his nation.
He’s being sued for defamation by a number of celebrities over the content material of a few of his YouTube movies.
For at the very least one celeb exposé video specifically, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police have requested GaaSyy to take part in a voluntary interview.