World / Man runs for Governor's office in Japan dressed as Joker; pic viral

Tokyo: A small Japanese prefecture outside Tokyo has attracted widespread attention across the globe after a man mimicking the Joker has joined the fray to become governor.

Yusuke Kawai, who is in the race to become Chiba Prefecture governor, set social media abuzz with his appearance resembling the comic book supervillain, starring Joaquin Phoenix.

The 40-year-old man, who is the head of an event planning and temporary employment agency, announced his candidacy with a painted face like a clown.

“Given his tendency for purple suits, one might say he closely resembles a certain comic book supervillain, but to stay safe of copyright issues, let’s just say he’s “a joker” not the Joker,” Sora News 24 reported.

Announcing his nomination for the ‘Party to Make All of Chiba a Land of Dreams and Magic’, he laid out his plans on his personal YouTube channel.

According to Japan Today, a big part of his new political role appears to be annoying his rival candidate Masayuki Hiratsuka.

Instead of relying on just manifesto and speeches, Kawai launched his campaign by rapping his way through to reach his voters. Releasing a new rap, called ‘It’s Show Time’, he was seen dancing in various public places.

“Since the clown is kind of a dark hero, I had this impression that I could get the support of the masses,” he told Tokyo Sports, explaining the reason behind his make-up.

Influenced by films, he outlined some of his plans for the small town, which includes renaming Narita Airport as Disney Sky, making ‘Let It Go’ from Disney’s Frozen Chiba’s theme song, Kotaku reported.

There are many theories on social media as to why he wears makeup, with some users saying he is too afraid to show his real face.

Kawai is not the only political personality from Japan who has garnered global attention in recent times.

Last year, Yutaka Umeda, the mayor of Yamato — a small Japanese town — became an internet sensation owing to similarities in his name with US President Joe Biden. Several social media users had then pointed out that the characters of his name could also be read as ‘Jo Baiden’, when written in the Kanji script.