Joker Runs For Office As The Joker in Japan

We live in a society .... where the Joker can partake in civic happenings? In what may be a strange attempt to put a smile on our faces, a man by the name of Yuusuke Kawai is running for governor of Japan's Chiba Prefecture with a campaign centered around him cosplaying as a version of Joaquin Phoenix's Joker, as depicted in the villain's titular 2019 flick. Donning face paint, a red suit and a yellow pocket square, Kawai recently stopped by Japanese public broadcaster NHK to prove that despite his looks, he really is a guy with a very detailed plan -- for improving his community, Kotaku reported on Wednesday. 

After first advising viewers to record his speech and post it on YouTube and TikTok, Kawai delved into describing his platform, a vision so chaotic it makes the historical Batman villain look like a lawful bureaucrat. Over the course of the video, the politician proposed the jurisdiction build a Tokyo Tower lookalike named "Tokyo Tower" as Tokyo Disneyland is actually located in Chiba, ban the word "trash," with waste management workers disposing of "star fragments" instead, and dub Makuhari Station as "Makuhari Messe Isn’t Here Station," seemingly to prevent confusion with Chiba's Makuhari Messe Event Hall. Several of his points were Disney-themed, suggesting Narita Airport should be renamed "Disney Sky," the adoption of Frozen power ballad "Let It Go" as Chiba's theme song, sending collective shivers down the spines of parents everywhere, and insisting the area's famous rabble-rousers be known "by the cuter sounding Olaf," Kotaku explained. I guess the only sensible way to live in this world is with several extremely specific rules. 

Alongside this magical platform, Kawai also shared some serious words of wisdom, sending a message to Tokyo's anti-masker community. "Just getting colds is not pleasant," he said, seemingly referencing their slogan of "the novel coronavirus is just a cold." Furthermore, Kawai argued that in light of spring and allergy season, masks may be helpful in preventing reactions, while some simply like covering their faces. He may be the Joker, but Kawai is definitely not joking around.  

Yet his gubernatorial run is far from Kawai's first venture into the public eye. Much like his villainous lookalike, the politician once aspired to be a professional comedian in the Japanese entertainment world with little success, leading him to seemingly view his run as an extension of his comedy. "I'm going to aim for laughs," Kawai explained to Tokyo Sports. "Even if talked about my true self, it wouldn't be news."

As such, the politician has taken to YouTube to bolster his campaign, posting several surreal videos including a music video entitled "It's Show Time," featuring several dance sequences and a whole lot of champagne. 

So folks, regardless of whether or not you agree with Kawai's platform there's one thing that's certain -- at least he didn't pick Jared Leto Joker. 

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