Lawmaker GaaSyy to Apologize for Long Absence at Upper House

Tokyo, Feb. 27 (Jiji Press)--YouTuber lawmaker GaaSyy on Monday conveyed to the House of Councillors his intention to return to Japan to attend a plenary meeting of the upper chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament, and apologize for his continued absence.

GaaSyy, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, has not attended even a single Diet meeting since he won a Diet seat for the first time in the Upper House election in July last year. He is based in the United Arab Emirates.

"I will attend a plenary meeting and read out a written apology in line with an Upper House decision," GaaSyy said in a document submitted through a secretary to Junichi Ishii, head of the Upper House steering committee.

On Wednesday, the Upper House voted to order GaaSyy to apologize in an open Diet meeting as a penalty for his long absence.

GaaSyy, a member of the NHK Party, a minor single-issue party critical of public broadcaster NHK, or Japan Broadcasting Corp., previously said that he would not accept the Upper House demand to apologize.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]