He launched a career on YouTube running his mouth on celebs, but in less than a year Yoshikazu “GaaSyy” Higashitani has gone from that to running successfully for office to running from the law. Politics reporter Gabriele Ninivaggi joins the show this week to discuss what this parliamentary upstart’s rise and fall says about how politics is done in Japan. And, who exactly are the Party Politician Girls who replaced him?
Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode:
Shaun McKenna: Twitter | Instagram
Gabriele Ninivaggi: Articles | Twitter

Read more:

YouTuber turned politician GaaSyy likely to be expelled from parliament (Gabriele Ninivaggi, The Japan Times)
Upper House committee votes to expel GaaSyy from Japan’s parliament (Gabriele Ninivaggi and Kanako Takahara, The Japan Times)
YouTube and Japan’s new political underground: The rise and decline of the Party to Protect People from NHK (Max Guerrera-Sapone, Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus)

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Photo: Former Upper House member GaaSyy is seen via video from his base of operations in Dubai during a press conference with NHK Party head Takashi Tachibana. | KYODO

153: The Japanese parliament expels some GaaSyy