Tone-deaf decisions by members of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s entourage have triggered another avoidable mishap for his administration.

Only a few months have passed since his son and political secretary Shotaro Kishida had a shopping spree during a diplomatic tour overseas in January. Yet now Kishida is under fire in parliament again for two more minor blunders.

Last week, Kishida was criticized for distributing manju — steamed buns filled with sweet bean paste — with his face and the Group of Seven logo printed on them at a recent party with political supporters. Days later, he gave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a hissho shamoji — a large wooden paddle often used as a good-luck charm for victory over an opponent — during his recent trip to Kyiv. The gift has caused a flap in parliament with opposition members accusing the government of being insensitive.

Petty mishaps of this kind and an increasingly blurred line between self-promotion and professional duties have left many wondering about the suitability of the prime minister’s aides.

Thirteen months into the war, with the Ukrainian people fighting for their lives under the Russian aggression, it’s not appropriate to send victory wishes, members of the opposition parties argue.

Questioning the prime minister during a meeting of the Upper House budget committee last Friday, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Noriko Ishigaki criticized the government’s decision.

“This is not an election or a sports competition,” said Ishigaki. “What Japan has to do is find a way to reach peace. The expression hissho (certain victory) is very inappropriate.”

The paddle was made in Miyajima, a small island off the coast of Hiroshima famous for its Shinto shrines. Paddles like this one are made in the Hiroshima area, which houses Kishida’s home constituency, and are common souvenirs.

Kishida justified his decision by saying that it is customary for prime ministers traveling overseas to offer gifts to foreign officials, and those gifts are often specialty items from their home constituencies. Stressing Japan’s commitment to support Ukraine, he then added:

“I won’t comment on the meaning of these local specialties, but we wanted to pay homage to the people of Ukraine who are fighting to defend their homeland and freedom.”

Soon after Kishida reached the Ukrainian capital, pictures of large boxes accompanying the Japanese delegation on its train ride to Kyiv began appearing on TV, leading to speculation that the prime minister was traveling with a large quantity of Umaibo, puffed corn snacks.

Last Thursday, Chief Cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that the box contained the 50-centimeter shamoji together with a lampshade crafted following the osuna-yaki pottery style typical of Miyajima with an origami-crane motif often used to express wishes for peace.

The expression hissho — roughly translated as "certain victory" — is often inscribed on objects such as headbands, fans or large paper sheets and symbolizes the wish to win. It is commonly seen in sports stadiums, where fans cheer for their teams, but the expression is also seen in the offices of campaigning politicians, who receive large paper sheets from their supporters or fellow members of their own party as a way of expressing their wishes for a successful election.

The history of the hissho shamoji itself adds an interesting element to the ongoing brouhaha.

In fact, the rice paddles are often associated with the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05, as it is said that, before leaving Hiroshima port to head to the battlefield, soldiers used to dedicate the paddles to the famous Itsukushima shrine in Miyajima where they prayed for victory in the war.

Why offer rice paddles to wish for success in the battle?

The association between rice paddles and victory can be explained through a linguistic pun: the phrase, "meshi wo toru" literally translated as "to take the rice," sounds very similar to meshitoru, the word for "arresting (a criminal)."

Thus far, the government has denied any connection to Russia and reiterated that the gift was a demonstration of Japan’s respect to the heroic resistance of the Ukrainians.

After initial criticism from the opposition ranks, the flap soon subsided without hurting Kishida’s political standing in any significant way. Emboldened by a surge in approval ratings, the prime minister will now focus on passing key legislation in the second half of the Diet sessions.

Commenting on the shamoji gift, Sergiy Korsunsky, ambassador of Ukraine to Japan, tweeted last week:

“From now on, 'hissho shamoji' will be very much appreciated as a gift from Japan. I haven’t received one yet though.”