My Random Musings

People prone to view things in binary terms—black or white, yes or no. But the world is multifaceted and complex, constantly shifting through cycles of disappearance and emergence. Often, issues fall into a gray area, where they are both yes and no, and elements can simultaneously exist and not exist. Although I’ve strayed a bit off topic, the bottom line is that the average Japanese voter seems to choose politicians based on whether they’re good-looking or not.
For example, The Japanese politician, Mr. Shinjiro, is regarded as androgynously good-looking by Japanese people and is said to enjoy overwhelming public support. However, his idiosyncratic remarks are often mocked—the so-called “Shinjiro construction.” For example:
1. “I think we can’t go on as we are. That’s precisely why Japan can’t go on as we are.”
2. “Even when I’m told, ‘You say you’re reflecting, but there’s no sign of it,’ I reflect on that criticism—and I also reflect on myself for coming across that way.”
In Mr. Koizumi’s statements, these meaningless tautological repetitions occur frequently. It goes without saying that Japanese internet users were all fired up, and joke contests riffing on the ‘Shinjiro construction’ became a huge trend..

Shinjiro construction
①今のままではいけないと思います。だからこそ日本は今のままではいけない。
②あなたは反省していると言いながら反省している色が見えない、といったご指摘に対しても反省しているけどそうは見えないという自分に対しても反省しています。