The Jiyukokuminsha publishing house on Tuesday announced 50 nominees for this year's top buzzwords, covering everything from the "bakugai" (explosive shopping spree) carried out by Chinese tourists to "Goromaru pozu," referring to rugby star Ayumu Goromaru's characteristic clasping of his hands before making a kick.
The 50 finalists for the 2015 U-Can Shingo Ryukogo Taisho (2015 U-Can New Words and Buzzwords Awards) encapsulate a year rocked by large-scale demonstrations in front of the Diet against the security bills, the surprise marriage of actor-singer Masaharu Fukuyama and the scandal over the 2020 Tokyo Olympics logo.
Several words related to the security bills, which were enacted in September, made the short list. They include "SEALDs," the name of the student group that played an instrumental role in mobilizing youth demonstrators; "senso hoan" (war bills), a nickname for the legislation used by opposition lawmakers; and "retteru hari" (applying wrong labels), a counterattack term by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe against those who used the term senso hoan.