House of Representatives member Kenshiro Matsunami, who threw water on opposition lawmakers at one point during debate over a no-confidence motion in the Diet last week, is being punished with a 25-day suspension that takes effect today.
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| Lower House member Kenshiro Matsunami bows to reporters. |
He will be the first lawmaker to be suspended from the legislature in 27 years.
The disciplinary committee of the Lower House decided on the punishment Monday after Matsunami firmly refused a request by NCP chief Chikage Ogi and Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hiromu Nonaka that he repent by removing his trademark samurai topknot.
"I will accept the penalty without protesting, and I would like to make a fresh start as a lawmaker," Matsunami, 54, told reporters Monday after hearing the committee's decision.
The New Conservative Party member and former amateur wrestling champion was being jeered by opposition lawmakers while giving a speech to a plenary session of the Lower House when he reacted by dousing them. The act delayed the vote on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's Cabinet until the wee hours of the following day.
Matsunami has personally visited each member of the lower chamber to apologize for throwing the plenary session into confusion. But when reporters asked him about the fate of his topknot, Matsunami said, "You guys watch cheap news shows too much."