Miyuki Hatoyama: A free spirit on stage again

With the formation of a new government, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has attracted the attention of media worldwide. But it is his wife who has been stealing headlines across the globe for her eccentric comments.

Foreign news agencies have pounced on Miyuki Hatoyama's claims that her spirit was whisked away to Venus aboard a UFO.

For the most part, the articles play up the mystique surrounding the 66-year-old wife of Japan's new leader, who himself is often described as a "space alien."

The fact that Miyuki Hatoyama doesn't hesitate to be herself, and that her rather unusual behavior doesn't raise too many eyebrows here, reflects a change in Japanese society, some say.

The hoopla surrounding Miyuki Hatoyama began a few days after the Aug. 30 Lower House election.

Reporters couldn't resist some of her more entertaining comments. These include the assertion made on a TV talk show that actor Tom Cruise "was Japanese in a previous life" and that the source of her health and energy comes from "tearing off and eating bits of the sun."

Referring to the couple, the Associated Press said in a Sept. 2 dispatch that "Japan's next prime minister is known for being bland in his speeches. His wife, however, is anything but."

Time magazine added Miyuki Hatoyama to its "Top 10 Colorful First Spouses," which included the likes of Carla Bruni, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Aside from Akie Abe, the wife of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who became the darling of South Korean media after she said she was a a fan of South Korean pop culture, especially the country's TV dramas, it is extremely rare for a Japanese leader's wife to attract much attention.

Richard Lloyd Parry, Tokyo-based Asia editor for The Times, said, "If a senior British politician's wife had such eccentric views as her, it would be a disadvantage for the politician" as political opponents and the media would attack.

"But in Japan, surprisingly... nobody seems to care. Yukio (Hatoyama) doesn't seem embarrassed, either. He seems to be fond of his wife," Parry added.

Melanie McDonagh of The Sunday Times wrote: "For as long as anyone can remember, the only interest in Japan was its potential for kamikaze jokes plus Madame Butterfly. Now at long last the country, the second-biggest economy on Earth, has made it onto the popular radar."

"In spite of all the news Palestinians and Israelis produce each day, we really are pretty boring people. I mean we have nothing on the Japanese," wrote Ray Hanania of The Jerusalem Post in an Op-Ed piece titled "How come we don't have more colorful leaders?"

"Sadly, Palestinians and Israelis are not as lucky. All we have is run-of-the-mill conflict. ... Nothing unusual, strange or hard to believe, like visiting Venus in a spaceship."

Meanwhile, not all of the coverage is tongue-in-cheek. Some media have lauded Miyuki Hatoyama for not fitting the traditional mold of a prime minister's wife who walks three steps behind her husband.

The fact that she is a former member of the Takarazuka all-women's theatrical troupe, and her marriage to Hatoyama is her second, has also been a source of interest.

The South African Business Day trumpeted that "it is an incredible feat for a Japanese first lady to garner headlines beyond her baking or flower-arranging skills. At a minimum, she'll challenge the tired cliche of the subservient Japanese housewife."

Some say there has been a shift in Japanese social attitudes, pointing to a prime minister who unabashedly refers to his wife as "the sun."

"Her emergence could be seen as a move away from politics dominated by stuffy men with women merely in the background pouring the drinks," according to an editorial in The Times.

"After experimenting with the Elvis-loving Junichiro Koizumi, Japan has a first lady who is unashamedly eccentric and a prime minister who, far from being embarrassed by her, admires his wife's vivacity," it said.

Many Japanese appear to view the arrival of the couple as the promise of real change.

Ichiro Takeuchi, a producer who penned the book "Hito wa Mita-me ga Kyu-wari" (Appearances count for 90 percent in judging a person) said that as long as her comments are not related to any particular religious cult, Miyuki Hatoyama's behavior is within the bounds of humor.

"It is probably dismissed as a mischievous attitude, as people are hoping that the current gloom surrounding Japan will be dispelled soon," he said.

Those who know Miyuki Hatoyama say she is vivacious and possesses a unique sensitivity.

Hiroyoshi Oda, keyboardist of the pop music group Blue Comets, said he was surprised when she said that a flower on a potted plant resembled the face of a pet dog that had died.

"Ten years ago, perhaps people would have appreciated a more modest and docile first lady," said Minako Imada, a confectionery researcher.

Imada said Hatoyama told her upon their first encounter that her marriage to Yukio Hatoyama was "the result of an extramarital affair."

"Today, it is probably better that the first lady speaks her mind. It enhances Japan's image," Imada said.

Political commentator Harumi Arima noted that an important factor behind Miyuki Hatoyama's aura is the fact that her husband seems disinclined to stop her from speaking out.

Arima pointed out that Yukio Hatoyama is unique in his own way. Once, he had a a caricature of himself as an alien created and had it printed on his business card.

"Both of them have few qualms about presenting themselves as possessing unusual characters. You need to have a certain amount of confidence in order to create that kind of aura."(IHT/Asahi: September 26,2009)