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AKB48 Takahashi Minami is positive about the probability to run for House of Representatives

  March 4, 2013

In the interview in the TV program, AKB48 member Takahashi Minami expressed her willingness to run for House. In the interview themed on “House Election 4 years later”, she said,

“I am interested in that.”

“I think it’s great if some day I can (run for political office).”

She started getting interested in politics after political journalist, Mr. Tahara Soichiro, who is also a fan of Takamina, told her,

“It’s better to study about the general election by the next eletion 4 years later”.

The person who first suggested Takahashi Minami’s aptitude for politics was Akimoto Yasushi.

The general producer of AKB48 put it like this, “She is more cut out for politician than idol”

Mr. Tahara Soichiro must have heard this as the two has been close to each other for years. And that was the turning point for Tahara. After that, he started frequenting AKB48 theater in Akihabara, and hooked on the idol group ever since.

It was during the broadcast of the TV show “Dare datte Haran Bakusyou” (誰だって波瀾爆笑 – Anyone has had ups and downs in their lives but just laugh them off) on March 3. Mr. Tahara was the guest of the show on the day’s episode. VTR of his interview to Takahashi Minami was introduced. In the video, upon being told Mr. Tahara’s Oshimen is her, Takahashi Minami told with bright eyes,
“I was very glad and it was a surprise to get to know that he actually konws me”.

She has met Mr .Tahara for a couple of times, and Mr. Tahara’s compliment to how she talks gave her confidence, she talked. He talked about a variety of things whenever they met, but “In the end, he concluded that ‘Takahashi is cut out for politician'”, she revealed.

Tahara urged her to seek for political position in the future, saying “For the today’s young generations, it’ll be much better potilics if today’s politicians will be replaced with you.”

Although Takahashi initially considered he was joking, when Tahara said in all seriousness, “You’d better start studying politics as 4 years later we will have a house election”, she realized the 78-year-old man was completely serious.

Probably because of the influence from Tahara, when the staff asked her if, practically speaking, there is a chance that she will run for house, Takahashi answered,

“It’s true that I care about politics, and since Mr. Tahara told me like that, you know, I can’t say I’m not interested in it.”

Furthermore, “honesty, I’ve come to think like…. ‘Why not?’. I think it’ll be great if some day, I can dedicate myself in that job” she continued.

She also revealed that Mr. Tahara said if Takahashi becomes a politician, he will be a head of her supporters’ association. And she sent a reply message to this in the video, saying “If it will ever become true, I will ask you a favor.”

Perhaps the reason why Mr. Tahara Soichiro is so passionate to make Takahashi Minami to be a politician is partly because of the aforementioned remark of Akimoto Yasushi.

However, he actually followed Takahashi Minami as a leader of AKB48, and from his own observation, he reached to the conclusion.

“Her leadership is awesome.”

“Her voice at the opning of AKB48’s TOKYO DOME concert was incredible, and even after she miserably lost in the Janken Tournament, she soon switched her mind and amazingly presided over the show”.

Japan is one of the countries that has lots of politicians who were TV personalities (No, they’re not political journalists or celebrity lawyers, but mostly are comedians, actors and actresses, or even idols), but if Takahashi Minami will ever run for the election, it will almost certainly gain the biggest attention from the public in the history of this peculiarly established custom in Japanese politics to secure a seat of parliament.

source: Livedoor

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