Yuichiro Tamaki, Representative of the Democratic Party of Japan, talks about his wife after the affair and how to deal with the new U.S. President Trump

My hobby is my wife.

In 2012, the KDP grabbed the headlines in the political world. Although there were once whispers that the party was in danger of dying out, it won 28 seats in the House of Representatives election in October, four times the number it held before the dissolution of the party. Meanwhile, Yuichiro Tamaki, 55, who was suspended from his party post for three months due to his own adultery scandal, is in the “purification period.

Even so, he continues to attract a great deal of attention as a controversial figure who is constantly exposed in the media. What does this “man of the hour” have to say about politics, the economy, and international society? We interviewed Mr. Tamaki to find out.

Referring to Secretary General Katsuya Haruba’s (57) comment that his “hobby is Yuichiro Tamaki,” Tamaki apologetically confided to FRIDAY that he has “spent more time with his family” since the riots. Since his election to the House of Representatives, he has been extremely busy, appearing on TV programs and receiving over 100 interview requests. However, spending time with his wife is essential for him now.

After the affair, I realized once again that I had been leaving household matters to my wife,” he said. I am ashamed to admit that I was so dependent on my wife that I did not even have my own bank account. Lack of communication between husband and wife, that’s all. Now I accompany my wife for walks and shopping, and I also clean the house and do household chores. The couple now has time to face each other. As a family man, not as a politician, perhaps it was better in that respect.”

Of course, even the wives of politicians do not have a high tolerance for affairs. How did Mr. Tamaki beg for forgiveness?

He said, “I just have to keep bowing to her. There is no easy way to get your wife to forgive you. In the end, the only way to solve the problem is to talk it over with my wife. Even now, I don’t think my wife has forgiven me.

When asked about the reason for the increase in the number of seats in the House of Representatives, he paused for a moment before revealing, “The people of the nation said, ‘You did a good job of finding me.

I honestly feel that the people of Japan have done well to find us,” he said. While other parties have made vague promises, the simple policy of increasing take-home pay has particularly stuck with the younger generation. One of the ways to achieve this was to “raise the 1.03 million yen barrier. However, before the election, we did not expect it to reach this level of the public.

Because of his support for the government’s budget proposal, he has been criticized as the “ruling party. However, Mr. Tamaki stresses that the Diet should not reject the ruling party’s proposals out of hand, but rather promote cooperation with a policy-oriented approach.

I’m not interested in which party or with whom we work,” he said. I have no intention of helping to prolong the life of the Ishiba administration, and I have no intention of forcing the opposition parties to unite. The proper way for the Diet to meet is to discuss policy by policy. The year 645, when the Taika Reformation took place, was the year of the second snake. This year is also the year of the Reiwa, and our party is advocating the “Reformation of Reiwa. If the current situation continues, I expect that the Liberal Democratic Party will fall short of a majority in the summer Upper House election. The tendency to ‘break out of the old skin’ will further advance. This will be a year of breaking down the old political system, and it must be so. The KDP wants to be at the center of it.

The trump card is “katsudon

The LDP’s slush fund problem has led to widespread distrust in politics. Tamaki believes that the people’s voices are being heard even more urgently due to the hardships they face in their daily lives.

He says, “I want the government to do something about the high cost of living, rather than just putting up a bunch of pretty words. I think the people frankly want you to do something about the high cost of living. There are various issues to be addressed, such as political reforms and promotion of understanding of LGBT people, but what is required of politics is how to catch the cries of people who want to improve their lives.

Looking at the international community, the year 2013 is in the midst of major changes, with Donald Trump (78) once again assuming the presidency of the United States. Regarding foreign affairs, he expressed this view.

Given the risks posed by China, Russia, and North Korea, relations with the U.S., South Korea, and India will become more important. The U.S., which has played the role of maintaining world order, has become the center of risk in the world situation. In that sense, I believe that this will be a year in which the international community, like Japanese politics, will manifest an axis-less state, in which it is not clear where the axis lies.”

Tamaki also believes that strengthening relations with the Trump administration is essential. He also revealed, with a wry smile, that “we actually have a hotline, albeit a thin one.

I have acquaintances in the Trump administration, so I would like to reconnect with them. Now is the time to strengthen the pipeline. What I want to tell him is simple: among the G7 nations, Japan invests the most in the U.S. and creates the most jobs. Trump is a businessman with a “Gian” temperament, so he must not be licked. It will be important for us to firmly promote Japan’s strengths.

He also has a “secret plan” for wooing Trump.

I want to tell him in a straightforward and serious manner at Trump Tower that Japan is a good country. I want to make him eat tendon and katsudon as Japanese food (laughs). It also means that we should win together as partners. I have already found a restaurant that I think is the right place!　I have already found a restaurant that I think he will like.

Mr. Tamaki plans to return to Japan in March. In the turbulent year of 2013, his true value as party leader will once again be tested.

From the February 7 , 2025 issue of FRIDAY