Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently shared a picture of his favourite food on Twitter, connecting with citizens through 'okonomiyaki'.
“When I got home, my wife Yuko made me okonomiyaki, because I had said I love the dish she makes for me on Instagram live,” Kishida tweeted. “It's always super delicious, but today it was so delicious I won't forget it for a lifetime. Thank you", Kishida wrote in Japanese while sharing a picture of the cabbage pancake.
Okonomiyaki is an iconic Japanese street food savoury pancake. It is simply a Japanese savoury pancake made primarily from shredded cabbage, flour, eggs and water. Some call it Japanese pizza. Also it is a very versatile dish that has many adaptations and various topping options. That is why it gets the name Okonomiyaki. “Okonomi” meaning “what you like” and “yaki” meaning grilled.
Apparently, an Instagram photo of his wife cooking him dinner during last year's LDP leadership election, when he lost to outgoing prime minister Yoshihide Suga, was met with a backlash for coming across as sexist.
Filling Suga’s shoes will be no easy feat, as Kishida will be inheriting a stagnant economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the remnants of an unprecedented public health crisis, and increased political manoeuvring by China.
Kishida first entered the political arena in 1993, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He served as policy chief of the LDP and later as foreign minister between 2012-17, during which he was responsible for negotiating deals with Russia and South Korea. He has long been in support of banning nuclear weapons, calling it “his life’s work”, and helped bring former US President Barack Obama to Hiroshima on a historic visit in 2016.
Widely known to be a moderate-liberal politician, he is expected to steer the otherwise conservative LDP slightly left. While he enjoys the support of top party leaders, his low-key presence over the years has led to critics referring to him as “bland” and lacking charisma.
