Cup o’noodle price trips up Japan’s prime minister
When economic times get tough, sounding out of touch on pocketbook issues can debilitate even the most nimble politician. Just ask Taro Aso. The Japanese prime minister was already being pilloried as an elitist over his hotel bar tab and his epicurean tastes. So you’d think he’d be extra careful to avoid a pocketbook gaffe, ...
When economic times get tough, sounding out of touch on pocketbook issues can debilitate even the most nimble politician. Just ask Taro Aso. The Japanese prime minister was already being pilloried as an elitist over his hotel bar tab and his epicurean tastes. So you'd think he'd be extra careful to avoid a pocketbook gaffe, right?
When economic times get tough, sounding out of touch on pocketbook issues can debilitate even the most nimble politician. Just ask Taro Aso. The Japanese prime minister was already being pilloried as an elitist over his hotel bar tab and his epicurean tastes. So you’d think he’d be extra careful to avoid a pocketbook gaffe, right?
Wrong. Now, Aso has bungled a key question for any Japanese politician: What’s the price of a cup of instant noodles?
Aso said: ‘I think it used to be very cheap, but now it costs around 400 yen (4.12 dollars), doesn’t it?’
An opposition lawmaker immediately retorted that a cup of instant noodles — popular with Japanese on a tight budget — actually costs around 170 yen.
Aso admitted with a wry smile: “I don’t buy them myself these days.”
Granted, it’s better to err on the high side in making these sorts of seat-of-the-pants estimates. But what’s with the gratuitous remark there at the end? It’s almost like he’s trying to give the opposition a boost.
As for this ill-timed photo op from earlier today, it’s just icing on the cake:
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