A YouTuber-turned-lawmaker was expelled from the Upper House on Wednesday for not attending any parliamentary sessions since being elected last year, making him the first member of parliament to be removed in more than seven decades.
The expulsion of Yoshikazu Higashitani, who goes by the name GaaSyy, is the most serious reprimand of four levels under the national Diet law. He lost his status as a lawmaker while abroad.
GaaSyy, a member of a small single-issue party, was last week given a chance to apologize in a House of Councilors plenary session — the third-strictest punishment available. But he did not do so in person, having previously sent a video apology which was not accepted.