Taizo Sugimura, the youngest of the 83 new Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers elected earlier this month to the House of Representatives, apologized Tuesday for stating he hoped to dine at high-class restaurants during his new career as a Diet politician.
Sugimura, 26, said at a news conference at LDP headquarters that several senior lawmakers have chided him about the "childish and irresponsible" remarks he made after unexpectedly winning in the Sept. 11 election.
The rookie politician vowed to do his best to become a full-fledged parliamentarian.
Sugimura was on the lower end of the LDP's proportional representation list for the Minami Kanto bloc and did not expect to win. But he was buoyed to victory as voters gave overwhelming support to the LDP.
Speaking frankly to the television cameras about his newfound status, a surprised Sugimura described his election victory as "a windfall" and said he wanted to go to high-class restaurants like other lawmakers do.
The media have been chasing after the young lawmaker ever since.
The university dropout got elected by answering the LDP's open recruitment call for candidates for the Sept. 11 election.
His agenda includes raising measures to deal with young job-hoppers and young people not employed, in school or receiving training, which is based on his own experience of dropping out of a university after holding many part-time jobs during his six years of enrollment.
Sugimura held the news conference before the LDP's fourth training session for newcomers, which is aimed at keeping them out of the party's factions.
