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A former member of Japan’s famous girl group ‘Morning Musume’ qualified as a member of the House of Councilors (Senate) according to the proportional membership order, but resigned immediately on the same day, setting the record for the shortest tenure in the House of Councilors and the House of Councilors in Japanese constitutional history.
According to Japan’s Asahi Shimbun and NHK reports on the 26th, the resignation letter submitted by Sayaka Ichii (40), who was active as a member of the second Morning Musume in the 1990s, this morning was passed at the plenary session of the House of Councilors held immediately after.
To be precise, the number of hours per day that was achieved just one day after becoming a member of the National Assembly is 93 minutes. This is the shortest record since the Pacific War. It is one month faster than the previous fastest record (31 days).
Previously, Ichii ran for a proportional member of the House of Councilors as a member of the old Constitutional Democratic Party before unification in 2019, but was defeated and retired from politics. However, Genki Sudo, who was elected one turn earlier, will automatically take over the proportional seat as he runs in the House of Representatives by-election to be held on the 28th.
Ichii expressed his intention to resign after learning of the succession to the proportional member of the National Assembly, but under the Public Official Election Act, the party does not currently have the authority to change the order of rotation of the old Constitutional Democratic Party before integration, so he inherited the position as a member of the National Assembly and immediately submitted a letter of resignation.
Although he only works for one day, Ichii will receive 76,000 yen (about 670,000 won) in annual salary. It was reported that Ichii decided to donate his tax money.
Meanwhile, Ichii, who began his entertainment career in 1998, announced his retirement in 2003 and married Naoki Yoshizawa, a member of his band ‘Cubic Cross’, the following year. Afterwards, he lived a turbulent life, including retiring, divorce, remarriage, and giving birth to four children. He has currently stopped his singing career and is engaging in related activities such as participating in various events using his housewife image.
Morning Musume, which was formed through a TV Tokyo-affiliated audition program in 1997, is a famous idol group that has been active for nearly 30 years now, with members graduating and recruiting repeatedly. The most recent member is the 17th generation.
